Mustapha Kwankwaso was Gwarzo’s choice – Kwankwasiyya’s spokesman Mohammed

The Kwankwasiyya Movement has dismissed claims of nepotism in the emergence of Mustapha Kwankwaso as the deputy governorship candidate in Kano, insisting that his selection followed due process and was solely the decision of the party’s governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo.
The spokesperson of the movement, Habeeb Saleh Mohammed, revealed this on Wednesday in an exclusive interview with MEDIA TODAY.

He said the criticisms trailing the nomination, particularly from the All Progressives Congress (APC), were based on misunderstanding and personal opinions.

“First, I will not have wanted to react to the reaction of APC or anybody from APC on issues regarding the choice of the deputy governor here in Kano,” he said.

“Because whoever we choose, they will end up having one or two things to say. That is normal in Politics.”

Recall that on Monday, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) announced Mustapha Kwankwaso, the first son of its vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as the running mate to Gwarzo.

Before his nomination, Mustapha served as Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development in Kano State under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

The development has since caused mixed reactions across political circles and social media, with supporters describing it as a step toward youth inclusion, while critics, including the APC, allege it reflects an attempt by Kwankwaso to rule by proxy.

Providing background to the development, Mohammed revealed that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) had initially approached Kwankwaso before political alignments were finalised.

According to him, the party leadership met Kwankwaso while trying to establish its presence in Kano and sought his support.

“They met our national leader when they were trying to bring the party to Kano and asked him to join. But at that time, he had already made up his mind to join the ADC.”

He added that when the move to recruit Kwankwaso failed, the party proposed an alternative involving his son.

“They felt, okay, if you will not join, why not allow your son to join us? They even said they were ready to make him governor,” Mohammed said.

Kwankwaso, however, rejected the idea.

“He told them clearly that he is not the kind of person who will be in one party and send his own child to another party for whatever reason.

“He thanked them for the offer and told them to go ahead with their plans, while he moved to ADC.”

Mohammed explained that subsequent political developments, including internal challenges within the ADC, later created an opening for fresh negotiations, which eventually led to collaboration with the NDC and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

He maintained that Mustapha’s eventual emergence as deputy governorship candidate followed a structured and grassroots-driven process.

Mohammed rejected the allegations that Mustapha’s emergence was based on family ties.

“For those thinking that Gwarzo chose him out of loyalty, they are entitled to their opinion. No matter what you say, they will not agree. But the best thing is to lay out the process of how he emerged.”

He explained that the selection process began with consultations and nominations at the grassroots level, where aspirants were asked to return to their local governments for screening and endorsement by stakeholders.

“Our national leader made it very clear that tickets are not given at the centre. All aspirants were asked to go back to their local governments, meet stakeholders, and be screened. Those stakeholders were the ones to nominate candidates.”

He cited examples of aspirants who followed the process and secured nominations.

“Some of them accepted the advice and went back to their people. For instance, a candidate from Ajingi returned, engaged stakeholders, and eventually got the nomination. The same thing happened in Dawakin Kudu and other places,” he said.

According to him, aspirants who refused to follow the grassroots process and instead focused on lobbying at the party headquarters did not succeed.

“Some refused to pass through that process and continued to push themselves at the headquarters. At the end of the day, they did not get the nomination,” he added.

Mohammed further revealed that after Gwarzo emerged as the governorship candidate, he was constitutionally empowered to pick his running mate.

“The candidate has the right to choose whoever he wants to work with. But even at that, the choice must still be presented to stakeholders.”

He disclosed that Mustapha was initially presented to the party leadership by stakeholders, but Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was not immediately in support.

“When Mustapha was first presented, our national leader vehemently refused. It was the candidate himself who took the responsibility of convincing him, explaining that this was his personal choice.”

He added that Gwarzo insisted on Mustapha after consultations and eventually unveiled him to stakeholders.

“It was Gwarzo who did the convincing and made it clear that this is the person he wants to work with. At that point, there was nothing anyone could do but accept,” he said.

Mohammed also said Mustapha’s track record and youth engagement influenced the decision.

“One of the reasons cited by Gwarzo was the need to carry the youth along. Mustapha has served as commissioner for youth, runs his own business, and has programmes aimed at empowering young people.

“He (Gwarzo) believes that while he has the experience and wisdom, working with someone younger will bring fresh ideas and strengthen inclusivity.”

He maintained that the entire process reflected internal democracy and not favoritism.

“This is the true position of how Mustapha emerged. He was nominated through the party process and eventually chosen by the candidate, not imposed by anyone.”