The Kwankwasiyya Movement has dismissed claims that former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, may be indirectly working for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that the movement described the allegation as false, desperate and politically motivated.
The reaction followed comments by the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Kano State Government House, Sanusi Bature, who said during an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday that Kwankwaso’s political activities could eventually benefit Tinubu.
Bature had alleged that some politicians could be working for Tinubu behind the scenes.
He stated, “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 scenes.
“I believe whatever Kwankwaso is doing will favour Tinubu at the end of it because Kwankwaso has worked for Tinubu in 2023.”
Reacting in an interview with Vanguard on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habeeb Saleh Mohammed, rejected the claim.
He said the allegation was aimed at discrediting Kwankwaso’s political influence.
“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.
Habeeb maintained that Kwankwaso had always been open about his political direction and was not involved in any secret arrangement with the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“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,” he said.
‘We Have Never Reached Out To APC’
The Kwankwasiyya spokesman also dismissed suggestions of any alliance or secret engagement with the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
“At any point in time, we have never reached out to APC. If they have any evidence, they should bring it forward,” he stated.
He said Kwankwaso’s only known political engagement with Tinubu was a public encounter years ago.
“My principal has never had any encounter aside from the one he had with the president about three years ago,” he said.
Habeeb accused Bature of trying to distort public perception and weaken Kwankwaso’s growing political influence 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.
He further alleged that Kwankwaso’s opponents were attempting to justify their political decisions by making false claims against him.
Habeeb said, “Many things are being said and attributed. And if you 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.”