Kwankwaso’s daughter files for divorce from Gov Yusuf, offers to return dowry

Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, the second wife of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has reportedly filed for divorce at an Upper Area Court in Abuja, offering to return the dowry paid during their marriage.

The daughter of former Kano State Governor and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso instituted the civil suit, marked CV/97/26, at the Upper Area Court in Gudu, Abuja. Following the filing, the court reportedly summoned Governor Yusuf to appear before it on November 17, 2026, in connection with the divorce proceedings.

Zainab and Yusuf got married on July 29, 2006, at a time when she was serving as an aide to her father. Their union has produced six children.

Prior to the court action, reports revealed that Zainab moved out of the Kano Government House on October 28 and relocated to her father’s residence along Miller Road in Kano. She subsequently travelled to Abuja by air without her police orderly or other security operatives.

The divorce filing comes against the backdrop of an ongoing political disagreement between Governor Yusuf and his former political godfather and father-in-law, Senator Kwankwaso. Dawn Herald gathered that the rift between both politicians, which began about a year ago, has also contributed to growing tensions within the marriage.

Yusuf secured his election as governor on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), benefiting from Kwankwaso’s political influence in Kano State. However, tensions emerged after Yusuf later defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).