By Uzair Adam
Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has responded to recent remarks by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, saying the former Kano governor was also once under his political mentorship.
Ganduje, who is currently in Saudi Arabia performing the Hajj pilgrimage, made the response in a statement released on Friday through his Chief of Staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba.
The statement followed comments credited to Kwankwaso in which he reportedly said, “Even Ganduje was once my boy.”
Reacting to the remark, Ganduje said politics thrives on mentorship, sacrifice, support and long-standing relationships, noting that no politician attains prominence without assistance from others along the way.
According to the statement, Ganduje recalled playing a significant role in Kwankwaso’s early political journey, especially during the National Assembly election that led to his emergence as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“At that period, Ganduje could comfortably have described Kwankwaso as his political boy, considering the moral and financial support he offered him,” the statement read.
The former APC chairman further recalled that during his time as a senior civil servant in the Federal Capital Territory and later as Kano State Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, Kwankwaso frequently visited him in both Abuja and Kano.
Ganduje said reviving “boy-master” narratives in present-day politics was unnecessary at a time citizens expect leaders to focus on governance, peace and development.
He also revisited the 1998 Kano governorship primaries, claiming that many party stakeholders believed he won the contest but that senior political figures persuaded him to accept the deputy governorship position alongside Kwankwaso in the interest of party unity.
Despite their political disagreements over the years, Ganduje noted that he and Kwankwaso worked together successfully as governor and deputy governor between 1999 and 2003, and again from 2011 to 2015.
He added that political relationships naturally evolve, citing the example of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who once served as Kwankwaso’s Personal Assistant but later rose to become governor of the state.
“Politics should not be reduced to who is superior to the other. A father can nurture a child who eventually surpasses him in influence and status,” Ganduje stated.
He urged political leaders and supporters in Kano State to avoid divisive comments and instead concentrate on promoting unity, peace and development across the state.