By Suleiman Ramat Ahmad The political history of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf cannot be discussed without revisiting the controvers...
By Suleiman Ramat Ahmad
The political history of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf cannot be discussed without revisiting the controversial 2019 Kano State governorship election—a contest that became one of the most closely fought elections in the state’s history.
In 2019, Abba Kabir Yusuf contested the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the incumbent, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The election produced an exceptionally narrow margin. INEC's final figures showed Ganduje with 1,033,695 votes against Abba Yusuf's 1,024,713 votes—a difference of only 8,982 votes.
The election was followed by a fierce legal battle. Abba and the PDP challenged the outcome, alleging irregularities surrounding the election and the supplementary poll. The Court of Appeal subsequently affirmed Ganduje's victory, while the Supreme Court later dismissed Abba's appeal.
For many of Abba Yusuf's supporters, however, the 2019 experience was remembered not simply as an electoral defeat but as a demonstration of the enormous influence that political power can exert during elections. They argued that the combination of federal, state and party structures created an uneven political environment for the opposition candidate.
It is important, however, to distinguish political perception from established fact. There is no judicial finding establishing that the Federal Government deliberately denied Abba Yusuf victory in 2019. The official election result and subsequent court judgments recognised Ganduje as the winner. What remains undeniable is that the election generated deep controversy and became a defining chapter in Abba Yusuf's political journey.
The irony of political history
Years later, Abba Yusuf eventually achieved what eluded him in 2019. In the 2023 Kano governorship election, he contested on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and was declared the winner. He defeated the APC candidate, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, with 1,019,602 votes to Gawuna's 890,705.
His victory marked a dramatic political transformation. The man who had once complained about the influence of political structures against him became the occupant of the Kano Government House.
This development has now generated a broader political question: when political actors who once complained about the use of powerful political structures eventually acquire power, do they resist the same system—or become part of it?
That question is particularly relevant to the 2026 Osun governorship election and the political alliances surrounding it.
Recent political developments have seen Kano's political leadership becoming involved in the wider national contest surrounding Osun. Such participation is perfectly legitimate in a democracy. Political parties and elected officials are entitled to campaign, mobilise supporters and defend their political interests.
But the political lesson from Kano 2019 should not be forgotten.
From victim of the system to participant in the system?
The central argument is not that Abba Yusuf should be prohibited from participating in another state's political affairs. Rather, it is about political consistency.
If a politician's political identity was strengthened by the argument that powerful political forces once attempted to overwhelm his electoral mandate, then that politician should be particularly sensitive to the dangers of political overreach when dealing with opponents elsewhere.
The 2019 Kano experience demonstrated how close electoral contests can become when political institutions, party structures and legal processes collide. Abba Yusuf's own experience showed that an election can continue long after voting ends, with courts ultimately becoming the arena for determining the legitimacy of competing claims.
Therefore, as political battles intensify in Osun, the important question should not simply be who supports whom, but whether political actors are committed to the same democratic principles when they are in power as when they are in opposition.
Democracy should be bigger than political revenge
Nigeria's democracy will become stronger when politicians who have experienced political pressure refuse to reproduce the same culture against others.
Abba Yusuf's journey—from the defeated PDP candidate in Kano in 2019, through his eventual victory in 2023, to his present position as one of Kano's most influential political figures—offers a powerful case study in the evolution of political power.
The lesson of Kano 2019 should therefore not be forgotten: political power is temporary, but the democratic principles established today can shape the political environment inherited tomorrow.
Those who once complained about a political "gang-up" should be careful not to create another one when the balance of power changes.
Nigeria needs political competition, not political persecution; alliances, not intimidation; and strong institutions, not the domination of institutions by whoever happens to control government at a particular moment.
The ultimate test of political leadership is not how effectively one defeats an opponent, but whether one protects the democratic space even when doing so may benefit one's political rival.
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