A chieftain of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has claimed that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari played a decisive role in ensuring Abba Kabir Yusuf emerged as governor of Kano State.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Galadima, who serves as Secretary of the NNPP Board of Trustees, alleged that Buhari intervened in the 2023 governorship contest to prevent what he described as a repeat of the 2019 election outcome, when the party’s victory was allegedly overturned in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Galadima, Buhari refused to support moves by former Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje to challenge Yusuf’s victory, citing a strained relationship between Buhari and Ganduje. He claimed Ganduje had previously insulted the former president, an action Galadima said contributed to Buhari’s stance.
“Unknown to many Nigerians, it was General Buhari who took our victory in 2019 and gave it to Ganduje,” Galadima alleged. “But in 2023, Buhari insisted that Abba Yusuf be given his mandate.”
Galadima further claimed that legal battles followed Yusuf’s victory, with the matter moving from the election tribunal through the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court. He alleged that judicial pressure and intimidation influenced earlier rulings but said the final outcome reflected justice.
He maintained that Buhari’s alleged intervention, combined with judicial processes, ultimately ensured Yusuf’s emergence as governor, describing the development as “God at work.”
Galadima also criticised Yusuf’s political engagements with leaders of the APC, warning that political alliances could undermine divine justice and the will of the electorate.