Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has doubled down on claims that both Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and former governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje are his political proteges. He made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing supporters at his Miller Road home in Kano.
Kwankwaso's comments come after Governor Yusuf reportedly questioned the age gap between them. The governor, 63, apparently wondered why a 69-year-old politician would call him "his boy."
Speaking to a packed crowd, Kwankwaso made light of the dispute. "I hear some people don't want to be called my boy," he said, drawing laughter from listeners.
He then switched to Hausa and grew more direct about the matter. "If not for disrespect, why would Abba Kabir Yusuf deny he's my political son?" he demanded.
Kwankwaso pressed further with Ganduje in mind. "Why would Abdullahi Umar Ganduje claim he isn't my political son?" the senator added pointedly.
His audience erupted in loud cheers. Many clapped as he defended his role as mentor to both prominent Kano figures.
Ganduje has previously offered a different version of events. In a BBC interview, he acknowledged working closely with Kwankwaso over the years.
But Ganduje pushed back against the godfather narrative. He explained that Kwankwaso had asked him to serve as deputy governor after a primary loss, he said.
Their second alignment was also Kwankwaso's doing, according to Ganduje. He framed it as a choice made by the senator, not him.
