From Sawaba to Asara: The evolution of commercial politics in Kano
“The only thing Kwankwasiyya has in common with NEPU and the PRP is mimicking wearing the red cap.” – An Anonymous Elder of Kwankwasiyya. Seventy-five years ago, in August 1950, a momentous event unfolded in Sabon Gari, Kano: the founding of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) by eight young patriots—Abba Mai Kwaru, Bello Ijumu, […]
“The only thing Kwankwasiyya has in common with NEPU and the PRP is mimicking wearing the red cap.” – An Anonymous Elder of Kwankwasiyya.
Seventy-five years ago, in August 1950, a momentous event unfolded in Sabon Gari, Kano: the founding of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) by eight young patriots—Abba Mai Kwaru, Bello Ijumu, Baballiya Manaja, Musa Kaula, Abdulqadir Danjaji, Garba Bida, Mudi Sipikin, and Magaji Dambatta.
They convened at Ijumu’s house, No. 9 Ibadan Road, to inaugurate a movement that would challenge the foundations of colonial feudalism in Northern Nigeria.
NEPU was not merely a political party but an ideological movement rooted in the emancipation of the oppressed Talakawa, reforming the Native Authority system, and pursuing Nigerian independence.
This founding moment invites reflection on the present condition of political leadership in Kano. How far has the dominant political current in Kano, embodied today by the Kwankwasiyya movement, aligned with or deviated from the values of Sawaba (liberation)?
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NEPU: A legacy of emancipation
NEPU’s principles, enshrined in the 1951 Sawaba Declaration, were to:
1. Overthrow autocratic rule embedded in the Native Authority system;
2. Recognize and frame the antagonism between the colonial-traditional elite alliance and the Talakawa as a class struggle;
3. Democratize state institutions and make them serve the people;
4. Confront oppression through mass mobilization and change;
5. Establish a new social order rooted in equity, freedom, and dignity.
This tradition was carried into the Second Republic through the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) under Malam Aminu Kano, whose leadership was defined by integrity, intellectual engagement, and egalitarianism. The PRP attracted some of Nigeria’s greatest thinkers and advanced politics of mass empowerment and social justice.
It extended NEPU’s legacy into a new era, attracting intellectual heavyweights like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Bala Usman. It advanced a politics of mass empowerment, structured participation, and anti- imperial sovereignty. PRP’s clarion call was unambiguous: politics was not a marketplace for wealth but a battleground to ensure the protection of human dignity.
Military disruption and the rise of transactional politics
The disruption began with General Ibrahim Babangida’s Presidency (1985–1993), which introduced government-created political parties, including the NRC and SDP. These were state-funded, ideologically barren, and designed for elite integration rather than popular participation.
This shift gave rise to political brokerage, personality cults, and patronage-driven politics. Kano, once the epicenter of radical northern politics, became an arena for this new transactional model.
The Triumvirate: Shekarau, Ganduje, and Kwankwaso
In the post-PRP era, three men dominated Kano’s politics: Ibrahim Shekarau, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Each served two terms as governor, and together they represent the transformation of Kano from an ideological vanguard to a stage for transactional politics.
Ibrahim Shekarau emerged in 2003 on the platform of the ANPP. His tenure was marked by emphasis on religious and ethical reorientation, including the establishment of Sharia and Hisbah commissions. Though he was cautious with governance, his administration is remembered more for moral campaigns than for large-scale infrastructure. He maintained relative peace and inclusiveness, winning recognition from traditional rulers.
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who succeeded Kwankwaso in 2015, was seen as patient and strategic. His administration invested heavily in physical infrastructure such as roads and bridges. However, his politics was widely described as transactional, and he struggled to build an independent political identity beyond Kwankwasiyya.
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso remains the most dominant of the trio, with a strong political structure known as the Kwankwasiyya Movement. Starting his career as an SDP legislator in 1992, he rose to become Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Delegate to the National Constitutional Conference, Governor (1999–2003, 2011–2015), Defence Minister, and Senator. His movement is admired for grassroots mobilization and discipline but is often criticized for lacking ideological clarity compared to NEPU/PRP traditions.
The shift from ideological to commercial politics
The central question is whether Kwankwasiyya and other contemporary movements represent continuity with the NEPU/PRP legacy or a departure from it. Unlike Aminu Kano’s politics of emancipation and mass empowerment, today’s politics in Kano appears more transactional, personality-driven, and less anchored on ideology.
Kwankwasiyya, while effective in mobilization, is not guided by a structured ideological blueprint but by loyalty to its leader. Internal democracy is limited, and decision-making is centralized. Its strength lies in grassroots organization, but its limitations stem from over-reliance on one figure.
Political brokerage and Kano’s future
In contemporary Kano, politics has increasingly become a form of brokerage, where movements align with national parties or leaders to extract concessions. This practice raises questions about the long-term impact on democracy and governance.
For Kano’s radical heritage to be preserved, there is a need to reconstruct a credible ideological alternative that prioritizes the empowerment of citizens, especially the youth, who now face challenges of unemployment, drug abuse, and social dislocation.
Kano once stood at the forefront of Nigeria’s ideological struggle for emancipation through the NEPU-PRP tradition. Today, the dominance of transactional politics poses a challenge to that legacy.
The task before future leaders and political movements is to revive the spirit of Sawaba and Nasara—values of justice, equality, and service to the people—and move away from the politics of personality and transaction.
NEPU! Sawaba!!!
PRP! Nasara!!!
Kwankwasiyya! Asara!!!
Auwalu Anwar (PhD), former lecturer, Department of History, University of Maiduguri and former Political Adviser to Speaker Ghali Umar Na’abba. Anwar sent this piece from Kano