Ganduje says Kwankwaso was once his political protégé.

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), responded to comments about Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso by saying that Kwankwaso was once his political protégé.

The statement was issued on Friday by Ganduje’s chief of staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba, while the former governor was in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage.

Ganduje said that politics relies on relationships, support and mentorship, and that every successful politician receives help from others at some stage of their career.

He claimed to have played a key role in Kwankwaso’s early political rise, especially during Kwankwaso’s election to the House of Representatives and his subsequent appointment as Deputy Speaker.

Quoted in the statement, Ganduje said: “I also have the right to say Kwankwaso was once my political boy because I supported him and helped him rise to important positions.”

Ganduje noted that before that period, while he worked in both Abuja and Kano, Kwankwaso often visited his offices to discuss political matters.

The former governor urged politicians to avoid labels such as “godfather” and “political son,” stressing that attention should instead focus on leadership quality and the development of the people.

He recalled the 1998 political developments in Kano, noting that he won the governorship primary at the time but stepped down in the interest of unity and agreed to serve as Kwankwaso’s deputy.

The statement added that, despite later political disagreements, Ganduje and Kwankwaso worked together between 1999 and 2003, and again from 2011 to 2015, for the development of Kano State.

Speaking on Abba Kabir Yusuf, Ganduje said that although Yusuf once served under him, he is now the elected governor of Kano and deserves respect by virtue of the office he holds.

Ganduje called on politicians and their supporters in Kano to avoid remarks that could deepen division, urging a focus on peace and unity in the state.