Ganduje Says APC Will Welcome Kwankwaso if He Joins the Party

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has said that the party will be open to welcoming former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, if he decides to defect. Ganduje made the statement on Tuesday during a meeting with journalists after receiving the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata, at the APC headquarters in Abuja.

Ganduje described Kwankwaso as “a fish out of water” who is trying to return to a political home, and said the APC would not turn its back on him. “We cannot say we can’t accommodate him, because a friend in need is a friend indeed,” Ganduje stated. “When you see your son running to where he would get shelter and you are a big brother in a big home, I think it is morally right to accommodate him.”

Though Ganduje and Kwankwaso have long been political rivals in Kano State, the APC chairman’s recent remarks suggest he is now willing to set differences aside in the interest of strengthening the party.

During the visit, Minister Yusuf Ata, who is also a former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, expressed his support for President Bola Tinubu and the APC’s efforts ahead of the 2027 elections. He said, “We are strongly behind Tinubu, and we are working around the clock to ensure we deliver Kano State in 2027.”

Commenting on the political influence of the Kwankwasiyya movement in Kano, Ata stated that its influence is fading. “The red cap era is becoming a thing of the past,” he noted. However, he expressed some personal disagreement about welcoming Kwankwaso into the party. “For me, I will not want the former Kano state governor to be welcomed into the APC fold. But I have no choice if our national chairman decides to have him on board,” he said.

This development comes as the APC continues to consolidate its political strength, welcoming defectors from other parties, especially in states seen as politically strategic ahead of the next general election.

Ganduje says APC will welcome Kwankwaso