You rose with my support, Ganduje tells Kwankwaso

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has responded to remarks credited to former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, saying political relationships are built on mentorship, support, and shared history rather than superiority.

Ganduje, currently in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage, reacted in a statement issued on Friday by his Chief of Staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba, after Kwankwaso reportedly claimed that “even Ganduje was once my boy.”

In his response, Ganduje said political actors often rise through the support of others, adding that no leader achieves prominence in isolation.

He recalled that during Kwankwaso’s early political career, he played supportive roles, including during the period that led to Kwankwaso’s emergence as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The statement also noted that Kwankwaso frequently visited Ganduje during his time as a senior civil servant in the Federal Capital Territory and later as Kano State Commissioner for Works and Housing.

Ganduje further referenced the 1998 Kano governorship primaries, claiming he was widely believed to have won but stepped down in favour of Kwankwaso following appeals from senior political stakeholders to preserve party unity.

He added that both men later worked together as governor and deputy governor between 1999 and 2003, and again in subsequent political arrangements.

The former APC national chairman also pointed to the political rise of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who once served as Kwankwaso’s aide but now occupies the state’s top office, as an example of how political roles evolve over time.

Ganduje urged political leaders to avoid rhetoric that could deepen divisions, stressing that politics should be focused on unity, governance, and development rather than personal superiority.