Hanga Kwankwaso rift deepens as Senator Rufai Hanga reveals how empowerment programmes and alleged disrespect strained their relationship
Senator Rufai Sani Hanga, representing Kano Central in the National Assembly, has revealed that what he described as growing “disrespect” contributed to the breakdown of his relationship with former Kano State Governor and Kwankwasiyya leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in Kano.
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Hanga made the disclosure during an interview with Dan’uwa Rano TV, where he recounted a series of events that he said gradually strained his relationship with the former governor.
According to the senator, tensions became more noticeable after he began organising large-scale empowerment programmes for constituents and gained greater political visibility.
One incident he highlighted involved an empowerment programme at a venue associated with Kwankwaso.
Hanga said the former governor had initially agreed to attend the event, which featured vehicles, rice, fertiliser, livestock, grinding machines and other items for beneficiaries.
He said preparations for moving the materials to the venue took about one and a half days.
Hanga recalled that Kwankwaso appeared unhappy when he arrived and subsequently asked those present to pause for prayers before leaving the venue.
The former governor, according to Hanga, did not return after the prayers, although the programme continued with several political figures in attendance, including former Kano Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, Wada Sagagi, Batayya, Nasiru Gawuna and some members of the National Assembly.
Hanga said Kwankwaso later confronted him about the event, questioning why he had organised such a large empowerment programme without allowing Kwankwaso to participate in distributing the items.
“He said, ‘You came distributing things because people are praising you, saying Kano Central has never had a senator like you. You could not even bring the items to us to distribute,’” Hanga recalled.
The senator said he apologised and promised to work towards resolving the disagreement.
However, he claimed that there had already been occasions when Kwankwaso sent people to him with requests concerning beneficiaries of his empowerment initiatives.
Hanga particularly recalled an alleged request involving a vehicle for a person from Shanono, an area outside his Kano Central senatorial district.
According to him, he was told the individual’s vehicle had been damaged in an accident during one of Kwankwaso’s political campaigns. Hanga said he eventually provided the requested vehicle.
“I told him that whoever he wanted us to assist, we were ready to do so,” he said.
Despite his willingness to help, Hanga said the episode changed his perception of their relationship.
“That was when I realised disrespect had set in. He has treated others this way, but he had never done it to me until that moment,” he said.
Hanga said he subsequently concluded that the relationship might not end well if the pattern continued.
He further alleged that Kwankwaso was uncomfortable with the scale of his empowerment programmes and his growing popularity among constituents.
The senator linked the deterioration of their relationship to his political difficulties, including his failure to secure a ticket to return to the Senate.
Hanga referred to Kwankwaso as the “Jagora”, meaning leader, of the Kwankwasiyya movement, underscoring the former governor’s influence over the political structure associated with the movement.
His account offers a personal perspective on the political tensions that have emerged between two figures who were previously aligned within Kano’s influential Kwankwasiyya political network.
The allegations, however, reflect Hanga’s account of the dispute. No response from Kwankwaso to the specific claims made during the interview was included in the report.
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The episode also illustrates the delicate balance between political loyalty, constituency representation and individual political influence within Kano’s highly competitive political landscape.
