By Abba Anwar
In Kano, not in any other place, as I am writing these paragraphs within the context of Kano politics, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is set to benefit from the coming together of the three political heavyweights of Kano North politics. Their political influence, goes beyond their zone. You can easily find their touches across the entire 44 local government areas of the state.
These are His Excellency the Deputy Senate President, who also doubles as the First Deputy Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Barau I Jibrin, PhD, CFR, His Excellency the current Deputy Governor, Murtala Sule Garo and His Excellency former Deputy Governor and former Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Eng. Abdullahi T. M. Gwarzo.
These gentlemen didn’t attain this political pedigree with such influence and domineering effect, in one day or by accident. They toiled, planned and designed the positions. They are one of the very few, yes very few, politicians within APC, whose dominance and presence are felt across the length and breadth of the state. They go beyond their primary constituencies of Kabo (Jibrin’s and Garo’s), Gwarzo (T. Gwarzo’s) and Kano North, as their Senatorial District.
When you take any of them, they have their contacts and connections in Kano Central and Kano South. I am talking of raw electorate, genuine voters and supporters. Not mere political heads, genuine and/or fake. Coincidentally, all the three gentlemen are reserved, quiet, strategic and not noise makers.
I always say of Garo, he can pick his phone and call his genuine supporter in far away, Baburi, of Tudunwada local government. And not necessarily, Barista Sabi’u Baburi, an outstanding and highly determined youth politician from that end.
Senator Jibrin was hitherto a member of House of Representatives, from Tarauni federal constituency, in Kano Central. When he became Senator representing Kano North, he did many things as a good ambassador of his people and to party leaders, from his zone. He also touched the lives of many people, including those from Kano Central and Kano South. His outreach goes further when he became Deputy Senate President. Appointments around his office are not limited to Kano North. So also other federal appointments he facilitated for other people.
Eng Gwarzo was Deputy Governor, under one of the welfarist administrations in the state, the administration of Senator Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Sardaunan Kano. Before then, he was the Kano State Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kano Branch. When he was the Chairman of Gwarzo local government. With these two outstanding positions he held, he has his contacts and connections too, across all the 44 local government areas.
None of these gentlemen, is either a local operator or a noisemaker without substance when it comes to election time. They are all visible outside the reach of their local governments and their Senatorial Districts. All of them are kings in their own right. No doubt about this.
All of them mentored right thinking people in their political life. Some of such mentees are not even from their local areas of Kabo and Gwarzo. Let me give an example of few individuals whom I see as responsive and responsible mentees under the tutelage of these tripartite icons. Either under long, medium or short term mentoring process.
Under Jibrin, I can remember Dr Hafizu Liman, Abdullahi Karkasara, Fa’izu Alfindiki, among others. For HE Garo, I can still remember people like Comrade Magaji Kabiru Gulu, Coordinator, Kano First Students Movement, Musaddique Wada Waziri, Deputy Youth Leader, Kano APC, Barista Sabi’u Baburi, among others. While under HE Gwarzo, I can remember, Alhaji Yawale, some pockets of state legislators when he was Deputy Governor, among others.
I was moved when His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf led the reconciliation effort between DSP Barau and HE Gwarzo, in the race of Senatorial seat for Kano North. Yes other efforts were also helpful in this respect. But the Governor, the way I see it, is the Reconciliator-General, if I may use the term.
I was excited also when I heard that DSP visited Gwarzo in his Abuja residence. That spoke volumes of how peaceful and responsible the two of them are. At Gwarzo’s residence, as DSP posted on his Facebook page, he, the DSP, spoke his mind very openly and said, “Our discussion centred on the development of Kano North, Kano State, and the country as a whole.
With the unity currently prevailing within our party, Insha Allah, All Progressives Congress (APC), the largest political party in Africa will emerge victorious at all levels in the 2027 elections: the Presidency, National Assembly, Governorship, and State Assembly elections.”
His Excellency, DSP, acknowledged that, “As always, the unity and progress of our party, as well as the development of our community, state, and country, remain our top priorities.” This, he said without any doubt. No one also doubts the purity of his mind when he said that.
Is just as I always say, APC has more committed and purely genuine leaders from Kano North than from other two zones of Kano Central and Kano South. They always have the party in their hearts. They believe, all hands must be on deck for the progress of the party. And God so Kind, those of them who have genuine, real and committed supporters and loyalists, are, these three, Jibrin, Garo and Gwarzo. They believe that action is better than noise. They are naturally quite and quintessential.
Their faith in coming together to work tirelessly for the victory and survival of the party, in the forthcoming election, is not only commendable, but inspiring. Internal cohesion, is but the main thrust of APC. It was formed as a united opposition front to unseat the then government at all levels. A mission accomplished.
So any move below this effort, is a total negation of the main cardinal principles of the party. As well as planting seed of destruction from within the party, the APC.
Let me call the attention of all APC leaders, eders and other relevant stakeholders, especially those who were there before Governor Yusuf joined the party, that, it could be disastrous and too embarrassing to think that, political interest can only be safeguarded and massaged, when discordant tunes are promoted and amplified. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG!
Governor Yusuf aside, greatest assets for APC in Kano, whose mutual understanding is needed the most, are Jibrin, Garo and Gwarzo. Though they all come from Kano North, but I argued earlier, that, Kano North is the stronghold of APC. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!
I am from Kano Central. Yes from Dala local government. But I know that, when you are looking for NOISEMAKING OF EMPTY DRUMS, FAKE LOYALTY, NON-RESULT PACKAGING AND BELOW PERFORMANCE AT ELECTION TIME, COME TO KANO CENTRAL AND KANO SOUTH.
So the ball is now in the court of His Excellency, Governor Yusuf, to rejig, redirect, re-engineer, re-focus and re-design democratic gains for his people, through modern political practice in his party, APC. As 2027 is fast approaching, substantive percentage of the victory of the party, is within the reach of the Governor. To make or mar.
Anwar writes from Kano
Saturday, 23rd May, 2026
