Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has responded to recent remarks by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, stating that the former Kano governor was also once his political protégé.

Ganduje’s reaction followed comments credited to Kwankwaso in which he described both Ganduje and Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf as his political “sons” and protégés.

Reacting through a statement issued by his Chief of Staff, Muhammad Garba, Ganduje said politics is built on mentorship, support, and long-standing relationships, stressing that there was no need to distort political history.

The former APC National Chairman recalled that he played a significant role in Kwankwaso’s early political journey, particularly during his emergence as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the early 1990s.

According to Ganduje, political relationships should be viewed with mutual respect and understanding, rather than being reduced to personal claims of superiority.

He also urged supporters of both political camps to remain calm and avoid inflammatory statements capable of escalating political tensions in Kano State.

The exchange is the latest in a series of political verbal clashes between the two longtime Kano political figures, whose relationship has evolved from close alliance to fierce rivalry over the years.