Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a Nigerian politician, former governor of Kano State in northern Nigeria, and the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has told his supporters that he will not abandon his political beliefs for personal benefit.
Kwankwaso spoke in Kano on Friday, shortly after news emerged that Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and a group of political office holders had resigned from the NNPP.
Those said to have left the party with the governor include several local government chairmen, some members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives (the lower chamber of the National Assembly), and some aides.
Addressing supporters at his residence, Kwankwaso said his long political struggle was focused on improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians, not on enriching himself.
“I’m not for sale. Our political convictions keep me grounded. If I were in it for personal gain, I would have taken the easy route and you would be looking for me elsewhere, not in this place,” he said.
He also described the Kwankwasiyya Movement, his long-running political base in Kano and beyond, as a platform held together by shared values rather than money or material rewards.
Kwankwaso urged his supporters to begin early mobilisation ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, warning them not to relax or assume progress will happen automatically.
He said recent political developments in Kano should be taken as a signal to prepare immediately, claiming that some people were determined to damage what his political camp had built over time.
Kwankwaso ended by assuring supporters that he would remain firm in his stance, saying his goal remained defending ordinary people and resisting anyone he accused of exploiting the public.