Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, the second wife of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has reportedly filed for divorce, offering to refund the dowry paid by the governor to secure the dissolution of their marriage.
Zainab, a daughter of former Kano State Governor and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, instituted the divorce proceedings at an Upper Area Court in Gudu, Abuja, under the Islamic Khul’i procedure.
The procedure allows a woman to initiate the dissolution of her marriage by returning her dowry or offering compensation to her husband, subject to the applicable Islamic legal process.
According to details of the suit, the court has summoned Governor Yusuf to appear on November 17, 2026, to respond to the divorce application.
In her petition, Zainab reportedly cited an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, alleging a persistent absence of love, care, affection and emotional connection between the couple.
She also informed the court that attempts to reconcile the marriage had failed, prompting her decision to seek its dissolution.
As part of her request, she expressed willingness to return the dowry paid by the governor on their wedding day.
The couple married on July 29, 2006, when Zainab was reportedly serving as an aide to her father. Their union has produced six children.
The divorce proceedings come amid a prolonged political disagreement between Governor Yusuf and Senator Kwankwaso, his former political benefactor and father-in-law.
Yusuf, who became governor in 2023 under the NNPP with Kwankwaso’s political backing, later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a development that reportedly deepened tensions between the two political figures.
The marital crisis reportedly became more noticeable on October 28, when Zainab allegedly left the Kano Government House for her father’s residence on Miller Road, Kano, before travelling to Abuja.
However, the circumstances surrounding her departure and the reported connection between the political disagreement and the marital breakdown have not been independently established.
The divorce application is expected to come before the court on November 17, 2026, when Governor Yusuf is scheduled to respond to the summons.
As of November 14, no official response from the governor or the Kano State Government on the reported divorce proceedings had been established.
