The Kwankwasiyya Movement has dismissed reports alleging that its leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, engaged in negotiations with the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing such claims as speculative, false and deliberately misleading.
Following Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s defection to the APC, some reports claimed that negotiations between the party and the leader of Kwankwasiyya movement failed through because Kwankwaso made some excessive demands as part of the conditions to rejoin the party, which the party refused to honour.
In a statement issued and signed by the Movement’s spokesperson, Dr Habibu Sale Mohammed, the group said Senator Kwankwaso had never at any time entered into discussions or negotiations with the APC, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, or any intermediary for the purpose of defecting to the ruling party.
“We state clearly, categorically, and without any ambiguity that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has never engaged in negotiations, discussions, or meetings with the APC for defection. These claims are entirely false and baseless,” the statement said.
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- The Movement expressed concern over what it described as the growing circulation of unverified reports and televised commentaries suggesting that Kwankwaso made demands to defect to the APC, warning that such narratives were capable of misleading the public and damaging reputations.
It urged journalists and media organisations to uphold professional ethics by relying on verifiable facts and credible sources, rather than speculation or political gossip.
Clarifying the situation, the Kwankwasiyya Movement said the last formal meeting between Senator Kwankwaso and President Tinubu took place in January 2024, stressing that no discussion on defection, political bargaining or party alignment was held during that meeting.
“Claims that Senator Kwankwaso made high demands or overreached himself are fabrications built on imaginary negotiations that never occurred,” it added.
The group explained that Kwankwaso’s interactions with political leaders across party lines were normal in a democratic setting, noting that such engagements should not be misconstrued or converted into false narratives in the absence of verified facts.
The Movement further alleged that the reports formed part of a coordinated attempt by some political actors to discredit Kwankwaso ahead of future political realignments and weaken his political relevance.
“Ironically, many of those promoting these narratives are individuals who harbour personal ambitions to defect to the APC and have now done so, seeking to justify their decisions through revisionist storytelling,” the statement claimed.
Reaffirming its leader’s political stance, the Kwankwasiyya Movement described Kwankwaso as a politician of discipline and principle whose strength, it said, derived from the masses rather than elite consensus.
It called on Nigerians to disregard what it termed misleading reports, insisting that the facts remained unchanged.
“There were no negotiations. There were no demands. There was no discussion of defection,” the Movement stated.
