Governor Abba Yusuf’s second wife files for divorce in Abuja court

Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, the second wife of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has approached an Upper Area Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja, seeking the dissolution of their marriage.

Court documents obtained by this newspaper indicate that the court has issued a civil summons directing the governor to appear before it on November 17, 2026, in connection with the divorce proceedings.

Zainab, a daughter of former Kano State Governor and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, married Yusuf on July 29, 2006, while serving as an aide to her father. The union produced six children.

The development comes amid a reported political fallout between Yusuf and his former political godfather and father-in-law, Kwankwaso, which has reportedly coincided with a prolonged crisis in their marriage.

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According to reports, Zainab left the Kano Government House on October 28 and proceeded to her father’s residence on Miller Road, Kano, before travelling to Abuja by air without her police orderly and other security escorts.

Her police orderly reportedly raised the alarm after suspecting that something was amiss, prompting security officials at the Government House to alert the governor.

Sources further disclosed that airport security officials were initially instructed to prevent her from boarding the flight but later allowed her to proceed to avoid a possible confrontation at the airport.

The incident reportedly triggered security investigations, during which operatives assigned to her quarters at the Government House and personnel attached to Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence were arrested, questioned and subsequently released by the Kano State Police Command.

Zainab’s elder sister and brother, Ado Kwankwaso, were also reportedly invited by the police over allegations that they facilitated her departure from Kano.

There were further allegations that pressure was being mounted on the police to prosecute Ado over an alleged kidnapping offence.

In her particulars of claim before the court, Zainab cited an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, alleging a persistent absence of reciprocal care, love, affection and emotional connection between the couple.

She reportedly told the court that she had also lost her love and affection for the governor and developed a deep-seated aversion to continuing the marriage.

The claimant further expressed concern that remaining in the union could make it difficult for her to observe the limits prescribed by Allah concerning a wife’s marital obligations.

She maintained that several efforts to reconcile the couple and restore harmony had failed, adding that the governor’s heart had completely turned away from the marriage.

Consequently, Zainab informed the court of her willingness to refund the dowry paid by the governor at the time of their wedding to secure the dissolution of the union.

She is seeking separation through khul’i, an Islamic matrimonial procedure that allows a wife to initiate the dissolution of her marriage, generally in exchange for compensation or the refund of the dowry.

(DAILY NIGERIAN)