Abba Kabir Yusuf is the Governor of Kano State. A civil engineer and long-time aide to Rabiu Kwankwaso, who is also his father-in-law, he won the governorship for Kwankwaso’s NNPP in 2023, survived a court battle that briefly removed him, and moved to the APC in January 2026, breaking with his political mentor.12

Early life and career

Yusuf was born on 5 January 1963 in Gaya. He trained in civil engineering at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, and Kaduna Polytechnic, and worked for years at the Kano State water resources agency. He was Kwankwaso’s personal assistant, then Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport from 2011 to 2015.1

Elections

He ran for governor for the PDP in 2019 and lost narrowly to Abdullahi Ganduje after a supplementary election. In March 2023, as the NNPP candidate, he won with 1,019,602 votes against 890,705 for the APC’s Nasir Gawuna.13 In September 2023 the election tribunal deducted votes on ballot papers it said were unstamped and declared Gawuna the winner, and the Court of Appeal agreed. On 12 January 2024 the Supreme Court reversed both decisions and confirmed Yusuf as governor.1

Governor (2023–present)

In May 2024 his government repealed the 2019 law that had split the Kano emirate and reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II as Emir of Kano, deposing Aminu Ado Bayero, who had been appointed under Ganduje. Bayero refused to leave, and the two emirs have each held court in Kano while conflicting judgments moved through the courts; the Supreme Court adjourned the case into 2027.45

Move to the APC

In January 2026 Yusuf left the NNPP for the APC, taking many state and federal lawmakers with him and leaving Kwankwaso, who later became Peter Obi’s running mate, without the state government. His deputy, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, resigned in March 2026.12 In May 2026 the APC adopted Yusuf as its sole governorship candidate for 2027, with the backing of his former rivals Ganduje and Barau Jibrin.6

Personal life

Yusuf has two children. He is married to a daughter of Rabiu Kwankwaso.1

References

  1. Abba Kabir Yusuf. Wikipedia, accessed October 2026. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

  2. Gov Yusuf defects to APC with 22 state, nine federal lawmakers. Channels Television, 26 January 2026. ↩ ↩

  3. Kano governorship elections since 1999. elect.ng, October 2026. ↩

  4. Court reinstates Bayero, annuls Kano State Emirate Law 2024. ICIR, 2024. ↩

  5. Emirate tussle: Supreme Court adjourns Sanusi, Bayero case to 2027. The Guardian Nigeria, 2026. ↩

  6. 2027: Yusuf, 31 lawmakers, 44 LG chairs join APC; Ganduje, Barau endorse Kano governor as sole candidate. Arise News, 2026. ↩