The Kwankwasiyya Movement has strongly rejected claims by the Kano State government that their leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is secretly or indirectly working to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The movement described the narrative as a desperate political attempt to undermine Kwankwaso’s political influence and misrepresent his true standing.
This came as a reaction to comments by the director general, media and publicity at the Kano State Government House, Sanusi Bature.
Bature had alleged that the former national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) is indirectly advancing President Bola Tinubu’s interests for the 2027 presidential election.
In an interview with Arise News on Wednesday, Bature insisted that Kwankwaso’s political actions may ultimately benefit President Tinubu.
“There are those who are working for Tinubu openly in the public space, and there are also those who can work for Tinubu behind the scene,” Bature said.
“I believe whatever Kwankwaso is doing will favour Tinubu at the end of it because Kwankwaso has worked for Tinubu in 2023,” Bature added.
But reacting in an interview with Vanguard on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habeeb Saleh Mohammed, rejected the allegation.
According to him, it was aimed at discrediting Kwankwaso’s political influence.
Habeeb said the claim was nothing short of an act of desperation meant to create narratives they themselves know are false.
“What Sanusi Bature and the state government are trying to do is nothing short of desperation to discredit us and to create narratives they know are not true,” he said.
He maintained that Kwankwaso has remained focused and transparent in his political dealings, insisting that there is no hidden political arrangement with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“My principal has always been a very frank person, very clear about where he is going and what he is doing. He is not somebody that plays under-deal politics,” Habeeb said.
He also dismissed suggestions of any alliance or secret engagement with the APC ahead of 2027.
“At any point in time, we have never reached out to APC. If they have any evidence, they should bring it forward,” he stated.
Habeeb added that Kwankwaso’s only known political engagement with President Tinubu was a past public encounter.
“My principal has never had any encounter aside from the one he had with the president about three years ago,” he said.
He accused the government spokesperson of trying to distort public perception, saying such claims were meant to weaken Kwankwaso’s rising popularity in the Nigerian Democratic Congress.
“These statements are only meant to diminish his popularity and throw doubt into people’s minds, but we are used to this kind of political game,” he said.
Habeeb also pointed to what he described as attempts to justify political decisions by opponents, insisting that Nigerians should critically assess such claims.
“Many things are being said and attributed. And if you (Bature) could play it better, you would have also hired somebody not Bature, who represents a government that is doing everything possible to justify their betrayal, justify their defection, and justify their relationship with the present administration.
“I think, beyond everything else, Nigerians have a reason to interrogate these claims if they so wish and to establish the facts as to whether they are true or false.
“So, naturally, we do not want to join issues on this matter. We have already moved on. We have already taken a clear political direction not only against the ruling party and the present administration but also a journey we are very optimistic will help Nigeria get to the right place.”
