By Uzair Adam
The marriage between Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf and his second wife, Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, appears to be heading for dissolution after the governor’s wife approached an Abuja court to seek a divorce.
Zainab, daughter of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has filed a petition before the Upper Area Court in Gudu, Abuja, seeking to end the marriage through khul’i, an Islamic divorce procedure initiated by a wife, usually involving the return of her dowry.
Court documents obtained by DAILY NIGERIAN indicated that the court issued a civil summons, with reference number CV/97/26, directing Governor Yusuf to appear on November 17, 2026.
The couple got married on July 29, 2006, when Zainab was serving as an aide to her father. Their union produced six children.
The divorce proceedings come against the backdrop of the political rift between Yusuf and Kwankwaso, his former political benefactor and father-in-law, which reportedly coincided with growing difficulties in the governor’s marriage.
Zainab reportedly left the Kano Government House on October 28 and travelled to her father’s residence along Miller Road before proceeding to Abuja without her police orderly and other security personnel attached to her.
According to sources, her police orderly raised the alarm after suspecting that something was wrong with her sudden departure and notified his superiors at the Government House.
The governor was subsequently informed, while airport security officials were reportedly instructed to prevent her from boarding her flight.
They, however, eventually allowed her to travel after concerns that stopping her could lead to an embarrassing confrontation at the airport.
The incident reportedly triggered security-related investigations in Kano, with operatives assigned to protect Zainab’s quarters at the Government House and personnel attached to Kwankwaso’s residence arrested for questioning before being released.
Her elder sister and brother, Ado Kwankwaso, were also reportedly invited by the police over allegations that they facilitated her departure from Kano.
Sources further alleged that there were attempts to have Ado charged with kidnapping.
In her court filing, Zainab attributed her decision to seek divorce to the breakdown of the relationship, describing the marriage as one characterised by a prolonged absence of mutual love, care, affection and emotional attachment.
She also told the court that she had lost her feelings for the governor and developed a strong aversion to continuing the marriage.
The petitioner further argued that remaining in the union could affect her ability to fulfil her religious obligations as prescribed by Allah.
She maintained that attempts to reconcile the couple and restore peace in the marriage had proved unsuccessful, claiming that the governor had also lost interest in the relationship.
Consequently, she offered to refund the dowry Yusuf paid during their wedding as part of the process of securing the dissolution of the marriage.
Khul’i is recognised under Islamic family law as a form of separation initiated by a wife, typically in exchange for compensation to the husband, often through the return of the dowry.
Efforts to obtain the Kano State Government’s position on the matter were unsuccessful. The Commissioner for Information, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, did not answer calls or respond to a text message seeking the governor’s reaction.