The Kwankwasiyya Movement has dismissed claims made by the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Kano State Government House, Sanusi Bature, describing his comments on Arise Television as misleading.

The National Coordinator of the movement, Habeeb Saleh Mohammed, in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST, said Sanusi Bature lied on national television on several issues, including claims about Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s political decisions and alliances.

He also rejected suggestions that Kwankwaso is politically isolated.

“Let me start by responding to the fact that he is claiming that my boss is alone. I don’t think we even need to answer that,” Habeeb said.

According to him, recent political developments in Kano show that Kwankwaso remains a dominant force in the state.

“In Kano, even with ADC, and most recently when we shifted to NDC, my boss has virtually become the centre of politics. The ADC is completely dead in Kano simply because my boss left,” he said.

He also argued that Kwankwaso still commands massive public support, saying crowds follow him wherever he goes.

“Recent events in Kano show that when my boss is coming, people troop out in numbers. Sometimes, his residence is blocked by supporters when they hear he is around,” he added.

Habeeb also compared political support in the state, claiming that Kwankwaso enjoys stronger grassroots backing than his opponents.

“You will see empty buses escorting the governor, but when my boss is around, the crowd is everywhere. That shows the reality on the ground,” he said.

Kwankwaso, Obi had no time to understand each other in 2023

Reacting to claims that Kwankwaso refused to work with former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, Habeeb said the situation in 2023 was misunderstood.

He said both leaders did not have enough time to fully understand each other politically during the election period.

“Everybody knows what happened in 2023. At that time, they did not even have the time to evaluate themselves or decide clearly whether they were on the same page,” he explained.

He added that political circumstances forced both sides into separate decisions.

“When Kwankwaso left the PDP and moved to the NNPP, he had already built structures nationwide. At that time, things were not as clear as they are now,” he said.

Habeeb said Kwankwaso and Obi both strongly believed in their abilities during the 2023 elections, but argued that leadership requires flexibility.

“At that time, both of them believed in their abilities and passion to serve. But the greatest asset of my boss is his flexibility and ability to understand what needs to be done at every point in time,” he said.

He added that Kwankwaso had spent years reviewing Nigeria’s political and economic situation and remained open to alliances.

“He has continued to review the economic situation of the country and the need to work with others. That is why he is always open to discussions and alliances,” Habeeb said.

According to him, Nigeria now needs leaders who can build broad alliances.

“The reality today is that Nigeria needs a ticket that can unite the widening gap in the political space,” he said.

“In a ticket believed to be a unity ticket and beyond their expectations, the continuous rise in popularity and acceptance of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has compelled them to begin pushing narratives they themselves know are false.”

Kwankwaso not working for Tinubu — spokesman

Habeeb also dismissed claims that Kwankwaso was secretly working with President Bola Tinubu or the APC.

He described such claims as desperate attempts to mislead the public.

“This is just a desperate attempt to smear his name. But Kwankwaso has never hidden anything. If he is with you, he is with you. If he is not, he is not,” he said.

Gov Yusuf tried to force APC move

Habeeb dismissed claims that Kwankwaso approved any discussion or arrangement linked to the APC, insisting such claims were false and misleading.

He also downplayed suggestions of a close political alignment between Kwankwaso and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu compared to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s political dealings.

“Tinubu can be described as Kwankwaso’s friend, and I believe they are much closer than how close Governor Abba Yusuf is with Tinubu himself,” he said.

According to him, meetings between political leaders do not require intermediaries, stressing that such engagements are normal in politics.

“When he was invited to the Villa, did he use anybody to ask him to come there?” he asked.

Habeeb alleged that the Kano State Government was not fully truthful in its account of events surrounding alleged defection discussions.

He claimed Governor Yusuf presented a case for moving to the APC and tried to convince Kwankwaso and the movement to support the idea.

“The governor presented himself to Kwankwaso that, going by what was happening in the then NNPP, he was the one that sponsored about 90 per cent of the crisis in the NNPP because he wanted to move to the APC. Everybody knows that,” he alleged.

He further claimed there were attempts to influence political actors and create pressure for a defection.

“He was trying to compel us, by hook or crook, that we must move to the APC because he has his own issues,” Habeeb said.

However, he insisted that Kwankwaso did not take unilateral decisions.

He added that the movement operates on collective agreement.

“My boss is a very open person. When Governor Yusuf presented the case, he said, ‘You can do whatever you feel. If you want to go, you can go,’” he said.

“But we don’t take decisions unilaterally. We take decisions collectively.”

Habeeb also dismissed reports suggesting that Kwankwaso sought political appointments or secretly negotiated terms for alignment with the APC.

He described such claims as false and politically motivated.

“The issue of him getting appointments for our leader or seeking to negotiate anything is all a lie,” he said.

According to him, no instruction was ever given by Kwankwaso for anyone to negotiate political deals on his behalf.

“My leader did not ask or instruct anybody to negotiate anything,” he stated.

Gov Yusuf has not learned anything — Kwankwasiyya

The spokesperson also criticised Governor Yusuf’s political approach, saying it showed a misunderstanding of the Kwankwasiyya structure built over decades.

He said Kwankwaso has remained consistent in his political style and cannot be influenced through indirect means.

“For somebody who was instrumental in raising you, training you for 43 years, serving as his PA and in other positions, you don’t use decoys and cajolment to talk to him,” he said.

He added that attempts to undermine the movement’s structure would not succeed.

“This shows how shallow this narrative is,” he said.

Defending Kwankwaso’s political record, Habeeb said the former Kano governor has always acted based on conviction, even when it meant leaving powerful political positions.

“This is somebody who left the PDP when the PDP was in power. He left even when Jonathan was president. He also left the Buhari government when he had opportunities to remain,” he said.

According to him, Kwankwaso does not remain in any political environment where he believes things are going wrong.

“He does not operate where he feels things are wrong. He stands by his conviction, no matter what anyone says,” he added.

Attempt to smear Kwankwaso has failed — spokesman

Habeeb Saleh Mohammed said Sanusi Bature’s claim that he once served as an NNPP spokesperson was a blatant falsehood.

He denied the assertion, insisting that Sanusi Bature never held such a position.

“To claim to have actually served, even if for once, as a spokesperson of the NNPP is a blatant lie on national television,” he said.

Habeeb said Sanusi Bature only worked with the Abba Kabir Yusuf governorship campaign team and was later engaged by the government.

“He was a spokesperson for Governor Yusuf. Even after they lost in 2019, he left the role and only returned when another opportunity came up.

“There was never a time he served as a spokesperson of the NNPP. To set the record straight, that is the truth,” he said.

Habeeb alleged that Governor Yusuf is using a paid spokesperson to promote a narrative aimed at weakening Kwankwaso’s political influence.

“This is just a desperate attempt by the governor, who is now using his paid spokesperson on national television to create doubt in people’s minds,” he said.

But he insisted the effort had failed.

“I think they have already failed awfully,” he said.

“The timing is very wrong. Everybody knows your stance. You could have done better instead of spending huge money to push this narrative,” he added.

He argued that rather than using what he described as a paid media voice, the government should have engaged credible independent experts if it wanted to shape public opinion.

“You could have picked experts that people would see as independent, instead of this approach,” he said.

‘Anti-North’ narrative hypocrisy’

He also dismissed claims that Kwankwaso is working against northern interests, describing such allegations as hypocritical.

“I don’t understand how someone from the APC will say Kwankwaso is anti-North just because he refused to work with them,” he said.

“He is going to be on a ticket that will challenge the existence of the APC government,” he added.

He concluded that the Kwankwasiyya Movement would not be distracted by what he described as propaganda and political distractions.