Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, the second wife of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, has approached the Upper Area Court in Gudu, Abuja, seeking the dissolution of their marriage, according to court documents obtained by DAILY NIGERIAN.
A civil summons bearing reference number CV/97/26 directed the governor to appear before the court on November 17, 2026.
Zainab, a daughter of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, married Yusuf on July 29, 2006, when she was serving as an aide to her father. Their marriage produced six children.
The development comes about a year after Yusuf’s political disagreement with his godfather and father-in-law, Senator Kwankwaso. Sources say the political fallout appears to have affected their marriage, which has reportedly been experiencing a prolonged crisis.
On October 28, the governor’s estranged wife allegedly left the Kano Government House and proceeded to her father’s residence on Miller Road, Kano, before travelling to Abuja by air without her police orderly and other security escorts.
Her police orderly reportedly became suspicious of her departure and alerted superiors at the Government House, who subsequently notified the governor.
Sources disclosed that airport security personnel were initially instructed to prevent her from boarding the flight. However, the directive was later reversed after officials feared that stopping her could cause a disturbance at the airport.
DAILY NIGERIAN further reported that security personnel assigned to protect her quarters at the Government House, alongside officers attached to Mr Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence, were arrested and questioned by the Kano State Police Command before being released.
Zainab’s elder sister and elder brother, Ado Kwankwaso, were also reportedly invited for questioning over allegations that they helped facilitate her departure from Kano.
Sources additionally alleged that attempts were being made to pressure the police into charging Ado with kidnapping.
In her statement of claim before the court, Zainab attributed her decision to seek divorce to the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, which she said had been marked by a prolonged absence of mutual care, love, affection and emotional attachment.
She informed the court that she had equally lost her love and affection for the governor and developed a strong aversion to continuing the marriage.
She also expressed concern that remaining in the union could prevent her from observing the limits established by Allah concerning a wife’s marital obligations.
The court documents indicated that Zainab told the court that several attempts to reconcile the couple and restore peace in their home had proved unsuccessful. She further claimed that the governor’s heart had completely turned away from the marriage.
Consequently, she informed the court of her readiness to refund the dowry paid by the governor during their wedding to facilitate the termination of the union.
Zainab is seeking a divorce through khul’i, an Islamic marital dissolution process that allows a wife to seek separation from her husband, typically by offering compensation or returning the dowry.
Meanwhile, Kano State Commissioner for Information, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, did not respond to telephone calls or a text message requesting the governor’s reaction to the development.
