Former Kano State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said his political differences with Governor Abba Yusuf have not erased his affection for the governor.
Kwankwaso said he remained willing to forgive and reconcile with Yusuf if the governor was ready to restore their relationship.
He spoke in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service published on Sunday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The relationship between the two politicians deteriorated after Yusuf, who won the 2023 Kano governorship election on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, defected to the All Progressives Congress.
Yusuf had been a prominent member of the Kwankwasiyya movement before the political split and later aligned with former Kano Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, a long-standing political rival of Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso, however, said he did not abandon or dismiss Yusuf.
“I didn’t abandon him, didn’t ask him to go or dismiss him, I still like him,” he said.
He added that he was not a vindictive person and was willing to forgive people who had wronged him.
Kwankwaso cited his past relationship with Ganduje as an example, recalling that the former governor had challenged him politically on several occasions.
“How many times did I have issues with Ganduje? He challenged me on several occasions.
“In 2007, when we were in the Ministry of Defence, he was my special assistant, but they held meetings to bring me down because I contested them.
“Despite the misgivings, I put Ganduje forward and supported him, but he failed,” Kwankwaso said.
The NDC leader said political differences should be approached with patience and understanding, noting that people have different backgrounds, ages, education and ways of reasoning.
“I’m not God. So, if Yusuf or whoever wishes to come, you need to have patience, have a large heart and compassion because not all will play along your line,” he said.
“You don’t expect everybody to act, behave or think like you do, because everyone has his way of reasoning, age, background and educational qualifications.
“So, if I’m not forgiving, we will not put Ganduje forward; the situation is the same with Yusuf.”
Kwankwaso also said he did not demand money from politicians in exchange for his endorsement or political tickets.
“We don’t ask for a dime from each of them to get our endorsement and tickets; we don’t sell our candidature,” he said.
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