By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The listing of the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in the 2023 general elections by the United States America, USA Congress as one of the alleged progenitors and sponsors of religious extremism and Christian persecution in Nigeria has been described as a concerted and orchestrated smear campaign to water- down his political influence ahead of the 2027 polls.
The Source reports that the USA Congress, last week, introduced a bill seeking to impose wide ranging sanctions on some Nigerians, including visa ban, and assets freeze, with the former Governor of Kano State toping the list.
However, the move has continued to elicit widespread indignation and condemnation from across the Northern region of Nigeria irrespective of political party affiliation, with not a few impugning political motives.
In separate reactions on Thursday, February 12, 2026, the duo of Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the NNPP, and social critic and activist Mahdi Shehu, insisted that labelling Kwankwaso as an Islamic extremist is part of a well designed plot to reduce his influence and undermine opposition groupings in the country.
Writing on his official site, activist Shehu highlighted what he described as a coordinated profiling of opposition figures, including Kwankwaso, with a view to weakening opposition platforms ahead of the 2027 polls.
“Truth be told, Kwankwaso is being declared an Islamic fundamentalist fully aware he does not have that record, not by mistake, but as part of a broader design to diminish whatever political relevance he possesses and weaken the strength of the opposition groupings.
“If declaring Kwankwaso an Islamic fundamentalist is based on his signing of the Sharia Criminal Code Law in Kano during his tenure as Governor, then it follows that all Northern state Governors who signed Sharia laws during, and after Obasanjo’s regime would also be called Islamic fundamentalists .
“This includes the Governors of Zamfara , Katsina , Sokoto , Kebbi , Kaduna , Bauchi,Jigawa, Gombe, Borno, and Yobe States.
“Two weeks after Pastor Remi Tinubu attended the America’s Annual Prayer Breakfast where she allegedly called for more bombs on Northern Nigeria, and held some consultations, American Lawmakers declared Kwankwaso an Islamic fundamentalist.
“This is not a coincidence, Kwankwaso is part of a political equation. It is arithmetic.
“Two weeks after the Governor of Plateau state Caleb Mutfwang Mennasse, attended the same prayer breakfast, Kwankwaso was designated an Islamic fundamentalist. This is not a coincidence ,but mathematics.
“Two weeks after the decamping of the Kano state Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf from NNPP to the APC, Kwankwaso was branded an Islamic fundamentalist. This is not coincidence but geometry,” Shehu stated.
Similarly, while speaking on Arise Television News on Thursday, Galadima, a known ally of the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement maintained that linking the former Kano state Governor to religious extremism is a well rehearsed politically motivated rhetoric to erode his influence.
According to him, the move is primarily targeted at undermining and preventing Kwankwaso from constituting an obstacle in the count down to the 2027 presidential race .
“The insinuations that Kwankwaso was a financier of terrorism is baseless. It is an attempt to smear a peaceful Nigerian ahead of the 2027 elections”, Galadima noted
Discover more from The Source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
