Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, the second wife of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf and daughter of former Kano governor and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has filed for divorce from her husband at an Upper Area Court in Abuja.
Zainab instituted a civil suit, with reference number CV/97/26, at the Upper Area Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja, seeking the dissolution of her marriage to the governor.
The court has consequently summoned Yusuf to appear on November 17, over the matter.
Zainab, who married the governor on July 29, 2006 filed for divorce on the grounds of an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. The union produced six children.
In her particulars of claim, she told the court that the marriage had been characterised by a persistent lack of reciprocal care, love, affection and emotional connection.
She also disclosed that she had lost her love and affection for the governor and developed a deep-seated aversion to the marriage, Daily Nigerian reports.
The governor’s wife further expressed concerns that remaining in the marriage would make it difficult for her to observe the limits prescribed by Allah regarding a wife’s obligations.
According to the court documents, Zainab said all efforts to reconcile the couple and restore harmony had failed, adding that the governor’s heart had completely turned away from the marriage.
She subsequently informed the court of her willingness to refund the dowry paid by Yusuf on their wedding day to secure the dissolution of the union.
Zainab is seeking to end the marriage through khul’i, an Islamic procedure that allows a wife to seek separation from her husband, usually in exchange for compensation or the refund of her dowry.
The divorce filing comes amid a prolonged political disagreement between Yusuf and his former political mentor and father-in-law, Kwankwaso.
Yusuf was elected governor of Kano State in 2023 on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), with the backing of Kwankwaso, who founded the Kwankwasiyya political movement.
However, the relationship between the two politicians deteriorated after Yusuf defected from the NNPP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), leading to a major political fallout.
The disagreement, which reportedly began about a year ago, is said to have further strained the relationship between the governor and his wife.
On October 28, Zainab reportedly left the Kano Government House and travelled to her father’s residence on Miller Road, Kano, before subsequently boarding a flight to Abuja without her police orderly or other security escorts.
It is understood that her police orderly became suspicious of her departure and alerted superior officers at the Government House, who subsequently informed the governor.
Airport security officials were reportedly instructed not to allow her to board the flight. However, they eventually allowed her to proceed after concerns that stopping her could cause a disturbance at the airport.
The report further alleged that security operatives assigned to protect her quarters at the Government House, alongside personnel attached to Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence, were arrested, questioned and later released by the Kano State Police Command.
Zainab’s elder sister and brother, Ado Kwankwaso, were also reportedly invited by the police over allegations that they assisted her in leaving Kano.
Sources further alleged that pressure was being mounted on the police to charge Ado with kidnapping.
