As the race for the 2027 presidential election intensifies, a close associate of Rabiu Kwankwaso, Yusuf Sharada, has revealed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is actively reaching out to the former Kano State governor in a bid to secure his support and reclaim Kano State.
Sharada, who serves as the National Coordinator of Project Save Nigeria, made this disclosure during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.
“They have been wooing Senator Kwankwaso to join them in the APC knowing his antecedents and his mass followership. Of course, it is their political permutations,”
Sharada said.
He explained that the APC, having lost significant ground in Kano, a state known for its substantial voting strength, has recognized Kwankwaso’s political clout and influence across the North-West and is eager to draw him into the party.
“Senator Kwankwaso stayed away from the APC because he is not in tandem with what they are doing as a government. They have been insisting that they want him to join them. Politics is about numbers and they know that he has the numbers, especially from Kano and the core North-Western part of the country.”
Sharada also suggested that the recent resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje as APC National Chairman may not be coincidental. According to him, it could be part of a broader political strategy to make way for Kwankwaso’s entry into the APC.
“Maybe the APC has perfected their plans. They are looking for the numbers because of their anti-masses policies; the masses of Nigeria are no longer with them.
So, they now want someone that the masses of this country have hope in to join them so that they have those numbers, especially from that part of the country,”
he added.
The Kwankwasiyya movement, a grassroots political base with deep loyalty to Kwankwaso, plays a central role in this equation. Sharada noted that these supporters will ultimately follow Kwankwaso’s lead, regardless of the political platform he aligns with.
“One thing that people should understand about the followers of Senator Kwankwaso is that they value him more than any platform or party that he is in because of his antecedent and the way he impacted so many lives in that part of the country. So, people listen to his opinion; they are waiting for him to give directives for them to follow,”
he explained.
Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, the North, particularly Kano State, has remained a strategic political stronghold due to its consistently high voter turnout. In the 2023 presidential election, Kano recorded approximately 1.7 million votes, making it a key battleground state.
In that election:
Kwankwaso (NNPP) won 997,279 votes, taking 38 out of 44 LGAs,
Tinubu (APC) followed with 517,341 votes,
Atiku Abubakar (PDP) secured 131,716 votes, and
Peter Obi (Labour Party) got 28,513 votes.
Nationwide, Kwankwaso came fourth with 1,496,687 votes, behind Tinubu (8,794,726), Atiku (6,984,520), and Obi (6,101,533).
Currently, Kwankwaso’s political influence remains intact in Kano, where his protégé, Abba Kabir Yusuf, governs under the NNPP.
