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By 247ureports.com
Political tension is brewing in Kano State’s Northern Senatorial District, where a widening rift between Deputy Governor Alhaji Murtala Sule Garo and Deputy Senate President Dr. Barau I. Jibrin has prompted the state APC leadership to publicly warn party members against actions capable of sabotaging the party’s interests in the zone.
The Warning
Kano State APC Chairman Hon. Umar Haruna Doguwa, represented by Kano North Zonal Chairman Hon. Abdullahi Magaji Lamba Bichi, cautioned supporters of both political heavyweights — who both hail from Kano North — against continued shows of strength that he said were gradually dimming the party’s standing in the zone. Doguwa warned that individuals found engaging in anti-party activities, factionalism, or attempts to undermine the party and its candidates would face disciplinary measures under the APC Constitution, including possible suspension or expulsion. He urged the warring factions to “immediately sheathe their swords, resolve their differences, and work together for the victory of APC at all levels” ahead of 2027, and vowed the party would deliver victories for President Tinubu, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, and all APC flag-bearers in the zone.
Bichi, addressing party leaders in Kano North, described Senator Barau Jibrin as the undisputed leader of the APC in the senatorial district, stressing that the party remains united under his leadership, and called on stakeholders to mobilise support for Tinubu, Governor Abba, and Barau’s own re-election bid to the Senate.
The Roots of the Rivalry
The tension between Garo and Barau is not new. Garo previously served as Barau’s campaign director-general during the 2015 and 2019 election cycles, a history that underscores how significant the current rift is. He later became the APC’s 2023 deputy governorship candidate on a ticket with Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, before Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf tapped him to become Kano State’s actual Deputy Governor following Aminu Abdulsalam’s resignation — a decision the governor reportedly made based on Garo’s strong grassroots appeal in Kano North.
That appointment process itself exposed friction between the two men: the Emerging Progressives Leaders’ Forum, a pressure group within the APC, publicly accused Barau of plotting to block Garo’s nomination as Deputy Governor, and separately blamed Barau for the defection of Gawuna — Garo’s 2023 running mate — to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A Defection, Then a Reversal
Compounding Barau’s troubles, his political camp suffered a significant and somewhat ironic setback in recent weeks. His influential grassroots mobiliser, Mustapha Yahaya Shuwaki, led a wave of over 5,000 supporters — drawn largely from Bagwai and Shanono communities — in defecting to the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Notably, the defection came barely 24 hours after Shuwaki and his supporters had themselves been formally received into the APC by Senator Barau, suggesting a rapid and pointed reversal rather than a long-simmering departure.
Shuwaki, announcing the move, said the decision followed broad consultations with supporters, community leaders and political associates, and cited specific grievances: the senator’s failure to intervene against worsening bandit incursions threatening Bagwai and Shanono communities, and a broader lack of basic amenities in the area. He was blunter in his criticism of Barau’s constituency engagement, alleging: “The last time we benefited something from Barau Jibrin was when he gave us N30,000 each and since he has neglected us.” NDC leaders in Kano North, including local leader Muhammad Garba, welcomed the defectors as evidence of a “growing political shift across Kano North.”
APC Concern
APC stalwart Ibrahim Sani acknowledged the defection poses a serious challenge for the party in Kano North if internal grievances are not promptly addressed, noting pointedly that “the symbolism is significant because it happened almost immediately after a celebrated reception,” and that it raises questions about the durability of the party’s internal alliances in the zone.
Context: A Volatile Period for Kano Politics
The Garo–Barau tension and the Shuwaki defection unfold against a backdrop of intense, rapid political realignment across Kano State more broadly. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s own defection to the APC has triggered a cascade of similar moves, including the recent mass defection of former Kano State Governor Kabiru Gaya, former NNPP factional chairman Mas’ud El-Jibrin Doguwa, former Kano State House of Assembly Speaker Isyaku Danja, and tens of thousands of others into the APC — alongside the defection of Kano’s lone NDC senator, Rufa’i Sani Hanga, received at a Tinubu Support Group event attended by Barau himself. Against that backdrop of consolidation, the Garo–Barau rift and the Shuwaki exodus stand out as a rare and visible crack in the ruling party’s otherwise strengthening position in the state.
As of this report, Senator Barau Jibrin’s media team had not responded to requests for comment on the rift with Garo or the Shuwaki defection.
247ureports.com will continue to track developments in Kano North ahead of the 2027 general elections.
