The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairperson of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has responded to recent comments credited to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, declaring that the former Kano State governor was once his political boy too.
Ganduje made the remarks while reacting to statements allegedly made by Kwankwaso during a recent political engagement in Kano.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Chief of Staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba, the former APC National Chairman, who is currently in the Holy Land for the Hajj pilgrimage, said there was no need for politicians to distort history or reduce long-standing political relationships to “boy-master” narratives.
According to the statement, politics is built on support, sacrifice, mentorship and mutual relationships, stressing that many political leaders rose through the encouragement and assistance of others.
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The statement recalled that Ganduje was among the politicians who supported Kwankwaso’s early political rise, especially during the National Assembly election that eventually produced him as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“At that time, Ganduje could confidently have referred to Kwankwaso as his political boy, having supported him morally, financially and stood by him during that period,” the statement noted.
Ganduje further recalled that while serving as a senior civil servant in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and later as Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport in Kano State, Kwankwaso frequently visited his offices in Abuja and Kano.
“It is therefore unnecessary and immaterial for leaders to introduce such narratives into contemporary political discussions, especially at a time when citizens expect attention to be focused on governance and progressive politics,” the statement added.
The former Kano governor also revisited the events surrounding the 1998 governorship primaries in Kano State, maintaining that several political stakeholders at the time were aware that he won the contest.
However, according to the statement, senior political figures and elders persuaded him to step down in the interest of party unity and accept the position of deputy governorship candidate alongside Kwankwaso.
Despite the political developments at the time, Ganduje noted that both leaders later worked together successfully between 1999 and 2003, and again from 2011 to 2015, describing their relationship as one rooted in friendship and commitment to Kano’s development.
The statement also referenced Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, noting that although he once served as Kwankwaso’s Personal Assistant, he is now the duly elected governor of Kano State and deserves respect and dignity associated with the office he occupies.
“Politics should not be about who is superior to the other. A father can nurture a child who eventually becomes greater in status and influence. That is the natural progression of leadership and human relationships,” the statement quoted Ganduje as saying.
He urged political actors in Kano State to avoid divisive remarks capable of creating tension, while calling on supporters across political divides to remain calm and focus on peaceful coexistence and development in the state.