Kwankwaso, Northern Nigeria and the Politics of Marginalisation
By Kabir Abdulsalam
In Nigerian politics, silence is rarely golden. But when Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano governor, presidential contender, and leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), speaks, the country listens, even if uneasily. His latest comment accusing the President Bola Tinubu administration of marginalising the North while prioritising development in the South has predictably heated up the polity in the last few days.
At first glance, it reads like another familiar outburst from a regional strongman trying to stay politically afloat. However, to dig a little deeper, Kwankwaso’s remarks have opened a Pandora’s box of political arithmetic, economic hardship, regional expectations, and strategic positioning ahead of 2027.
Kwankwaso is no ordinary political player. A two-time governor of Kano State, former Defence Minister, and founding father of the red-capped Kwankwasiyya movement, he has long commanded a cult-like following in parts of Northern Nigeria. In the 2023 presidential election, he ran under the NNPP banner and secured nearly 1 million votes in Kano alone, effectively splitting the northern vote and denying the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar a clean sweep in the region.
Analysts widely believe that Kwankwaso’s presence in the race indirectly paved the way for Bola Tinubu’s victory. By fragmenting the Northern voting bloc, Kwankwaso made it mathematically easier for Tinubu to coast to victory — a perception that still lingers in political circles. Now, nearly two years into Tinubu’s presidency, Kwankwaso appears to be sounding a different trumpet, one that bemoans the very administration some say he helped install. But is he actually attacking the Tinubu government or seeking to do its bidding again?
Speaking recently, Kwankwaso alleged that the ‘Tinubu administration is marginalising the North’ in terms of project allocation and federal attention. His critique is sweeping: while roads, railways, bridges, and ports bloom in the South, northern communities continue to grapple with poverty, insecurity, and underdevelopment.
Backing his concerns, a growing number of northern voices have joined the chorus. Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, echoed Kwankwaso’s sentiments, accusing Tinubu of “systematically sidelining” the North. Various civil society groups from the region have also rallied behind Kwankwaso, warning that the perception of neglect could spark resentment and deepen regional discontent.
But in a sharp pushback, the Presidency dismissed the claims as misleading. In a statement posted on X, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, challenged Kwankwaso’s remarks while highlighting the government’s ongoing projects across Northern Nigeria. He included the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressway, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, and irrigation and housing projects in states like Sokoto, Borno, and Nasarawa. “There is no lopsidedness,” the Presidency insisted. “Development is national in scope.”
Minister of Works Dave Umahi went even further. In a fiery rebuke, he accused Kwankwaso of spreading falsehood, insisting that the former governor’s attacks were politically motivated.
While it’s true that several signature projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and deep-sea port projects are concentrated in the South, it’s also factual that the North is not completely left out.
Take for instance, the Kano-Kaduna rail project inherited from the Buhari administration, which is still underway. The AKK Gas Pipeline, stretching over 600 km through Kogi, Kaduna, and Kano, remains one of the largest infrastructure projects in Northern Nigeria. The recent housing and road rehabilitation projects in Borno and Yobe, aimed at rebuilding insurgency-hit communities are federally funded.
The removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023 and the floating of the naira triggered inflationary waves across Nigeria. While the policies were hailed as necessary by global lenders and reform advocates, they plunged millions into hardship. Food prices soared. Transportation costs doubled. Small businesses buckled under the weight of foreign exchange instability.
To be fair to Kwankwaso and co, a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that poverty rates remain highest in northern states but this is an old reality that didn’t emerge in 2023. With a weaker private sector presence, fewer job opportunities, and reliance on agriculture and public sector jobs, northern communities are more vulnerable to economic shocks. So, when the subsidy goes or the naira crashes, the ripple effect hits the North with greater force.
However, it’s worth noting that these are national policies, not sectional ones. The economic pain in Lagos or Port Harcourt may differ in form, but it’s real too. The difference is, perhaps, that the South has more tools to cushion the blow such as financial inclusion, diaspora remittances, stronger entrepreneurship ecosystems etc.
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Marginalisation: Genuine Concern or a Lie Repeatedly Told?
Irrespective of Kwankwaso’s motivation, this is an opportunity for a deeper interrogation of the repeated claim that the Tinubu administration has marginalised the Northern part of the country.
The truth is the North is entitled to a lot of attention from the Tinubu Presidency because it has sowed and it has to reap. The North contributed over 5 million of Tinubu’s over 8 million votes in an election that Atiku Abubakar was on the ballot. In rejecting Atiku and voting Tinibu in parts of the North, Northerners have once again shown good faith, the fact that they believe in this country and they want the country to remain one and they are willing to let the South have a taste of power for eight years before it returns to the North.
We must however first put the topic in context and agree on a proper definition for marginalisation. The elite seems to have bastardised it to selfishly limit it to appointment which is about them and has nothing to do with the masses who they often claim they are fighting for. Away from the narrow, elitist reading, marginalisation must be all about good governance and whether projects and good policies are directed to the Northern part of the country or not. And also whether only the North is feeling the pain of the painstaking reforms the administration is putting in place. To start with, is it the student loan policy, the increase in minimum wage, increase in corpers’ allowance, increase in allocation to states and infrastructural upgrade, which positive thing is happening in this administration that is not affecting the Northern part of the country? Which one of them is happening only in the South?
In recent months, a lot of the bandit leaders killing people in the North have been taken out. Southern Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara etc can breathe peace now. Recently, the Ministry of Livestock Development which was established by the present administration caused the Tinubu administration to expend several billions of Naira on a massive infrastructural project for herders in Gombe state with a view to elevating the business of animal husbandry and reducing the skirmishes between herders and farmers. An elated Governor Inuwa Yahaya praised the President for his commitment to the North, saying that no other leader in the country’s history had done something similar for the region.
And is it only in the Northern part of the country that inflation, arising from fuel subsidy removal and floating of the Naira, have caused poverty and hunger?
And even on the issue of appointment, it is difficult to really understand what the shout of marginalisation is all about. Aside from the Vice President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and National Chairman of the ruling party that are from the North, the National Security Adviser, Secretary to Government of the Federation, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Minister of Health, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Budget and Planning, Minister of Defence, the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) etc are all from the North.
It is therefore difficult if not possible for anyone to correctly say that the Tinubu administration has marginalised the North either in terms of good governance or appointment.
The Politics of Kwankwaso’s Outburst
Each time Kwankwaso visits the Villa, tongues wag. Critics argue that his attacks are strategic. He wants to remain relevant, keep his supporters engaged, and ensure he is not forgotten in the race to 2027. Again, he made the statement days after he met the President and this may be the assignment he was given: “Northerners are already getting carried away with Atiku, they are beginning to forget you, draw attention to yourself and start preparing to contest and split Atiku’s votes again in 2027. “
The whole show looked like a clever PR move for the administration. Kwankwaso was probably helping to draw attention to what the President has done in the North and for Northerners. This is because immediately he dropped the bombshell, Dave Umahi and Sunday Dare’s rebuttal took over the media space to highlight what the government is doing in the region — a kind of political “bait and spotlight” tactic for the President’s surrogates.
After all, what better way to amplify northern projects than to accuse the government of not doing any, and let the Presidency prove you wrong?
Kwankwaso seems to have delivered his Presidential PR assignment very well as we now know that this administration is doing a lot for the North. And again, Atiku and his ADC folks now also know that Kwankwaso is back on the ballot and will do the same damage he did in 2023.
Last Line
The buildup to the 2027 general elections is witnessing a huge game of chess. As the Atiku camp is moving, the Presidency is trying to reduce the votes he will get in the Northwest where he is banking on. As Peter Obi is trying to consolidate his base in the South-south and North Central, the ruling party is trying to win souls there to reduce its seeming weakness.
2027 will be interesting to watch. It has already become an interesting show in 2025.
