19/08/2025
Addressing Fulani Dominance in Nigeria: A Call for Hausa Representation in Kano Politics
Is It a Coincidence, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, That Almost All Leaders Under Your Movement Are Fulani?
By Habibu Yusuf Sodangi
Founder, Hausa Youth Awakening Forum
Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a prominent politician in Kano State and leader of a movement that claims to represent the masses, must answer a critical question. Is it truly a coincidence that every major office under your political umbrella is occupied by Fulani men and women, while the indigenous Hausa people of Kano, who are the numerical majority, remain excluded from real power?
From the governorship candidates of your movement down to the deputies, there is a striking pattern—they are Fulani. Members of the State House of Assembly under your control are largely Fulani. At the federal level, those who emerge under your banner into the House of Representatives are again mostly Fulani. The imbalance is so glaring that no objective observer can deny it.
Even more telling, your political appointees—commissioners, special advisers, senior aides, and board members—are dominated by Fulani. This pattern of favoritism goes beyond chance. It is deliberate, and it raises serious concerns about your vision for Kano State and for Nigeria at large.
Dr. Kwankwaso, you yourself are Fulani, and the Emir you installed twice in Kano is also Fulani. This raises suspicions that your movement is designed not as a platform for progress but as a vehicle to entrench Fulani dominance in a state where Hausawa are the overwhelming majority. Such actions are not only unjust but also provocative.
The families of the late Muhammad Alwali, the last Hausa ruler of Kano who was brutally killed during the Fulani jihad led by Usman Dan Fodio, continue to feel the pain of that historical injustice. They too have expressed their desire to return to the palace and reclaim their rightful place in history. Yet under your leadership, no effort has been made to honor that history or give recognition to the descendants of Alwali.
Instead, your political choices echo the same patterns of exclusion that began with Dan Fodio’s invasion. This is not governance; it is oppression. It is a continuation of a system where the Hausa majority are reduced to subjects while Fulani elites monopolize power. Such behavior cannot be justified in any democratic society.
Kano State is the heartbeat of the Hausa people. Its population is overwhelmingly Hausa. Its culture, language, and traditions are Hausa. To marginalize the indigenous people in their own land is a betrayal of democracy and a denial of justice. The Kwankwasiyya movement, under your watch, has become a tool of Fulani domination instead of a platform for the empowerment of the masses.
You claim to fight for the poor, yet the poor Hausa man sees no reflection of himself in your appointments. He sees no Hausa governor representing him, no Hausa deputy governor by his side, and very few Hausa legislators speaking for him. What he sees is a Fulani political machine feeding its own elite at the expense of the majority.
The Hausawa of Kano are not asking for charity; they are asking for fairness. They are demanding inclusion. They are demanding that the leadership of their state reflect their identity, their history, and their sacrifices. To deny them this is to spit in the face of democracy.
The irony is that when it comes to mobilization, you rely heavily on the Hausa population. It is the Hausa masses who attend your rallies in their millions. It is the Hausa farmers, traders, and workers who cast the votes that give you power. Yet, when it comes to sharing that power, you sideline them. This is a cruel exploitation of loyalty.
Kwankwasiyya has become synonymous with Fulani political dominance in Kano. The structure of your movement leaves no doubt. Those who question this reality are silenced or labeled as enemies. But truth cannot be buried. The truth is that Hausawa are oppressed under your model of leadership.
The continued appointment and installation of Fulani elites, especially the reinstatement of a Fulani Emir while ignoring the descendants of Alwali, shows where your allegiance truly lies. It is not with the Hausawa majority but with the Fulani minority that has hijacked Kano’s political destiny.
This must stop. Kano cannot continue to be governed as if it is a Fulani enclave. It is the land of the Hausa, and its leadership must reflect that identity. Equity demands that the Hausawa reclaim their place in governance and in the palace that was stolen from them centuries ago.
History is repeating itself, and it is repeating through you, Dr. Kwankwaso. You have chosen to revive the old wound of Dan Fodio’s conquest rather than heal it. This is a dangerous game that risks dividing Kano and deepening mistrust between Hausa and Fulani communities.
You cannot claim to be a nationalist while practicing ethnic exclusion. You cannot claim to empower the people while marginalizing the majority. You cannot claim to represent Kano while ignoring the rightful heritage of the Hausawa. Such contradictions must be called out, and that is why this forum exists.
We remind you that democracy is about numbers, and the Hausawa have the numbers. For too long, their goodwill has been taken for granted. They will not continue to vote blindly for a movement that denies them their place at the table. Change is inevitable, and it will come from the ballot box.
Dr. Kwankwaso, we challenge you to answer this open question: is it a coincidence that nearly all governors, deputies, legislators, appointees, and even the Emir under your movement are Fulani? Nigerians and the international community are watching. History will judge you by your answer.
We stand firm as the Hausa Youth Awakening Forum. We reject marginalization. We reject oppression. We reject the continuation of Fulani dominance in Kano politics. The future belongs to the Hausawa, and that future will be reclaimed.
Let the descendants of Muhammad Alwali return to their rightful place. Let the Hausawa be given their rightful share of governance. Let justice replace favoritism, and let democracy speak the truth. Anything less is a betrayal of Kano and its proud Hausa identity.
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