Kwankwaso’s daughter files for divorce from Gov. Yusuf, offers dowry refund
Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, the second wife of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, has approached an Abuja court to seek the dissolution of their marriage, citing a breakdown of the relationship.
According to DAILY NIGERIAN, court documents show that Zainab, a daughter of former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, filed the divorce suit at the Upper Area Court in Gudu, Abuja. The court has summoned Yusuf to appear on November 17, 2026.
Zainab married Yusuf on July 29, 2006, while serving as an aide to her father. Their marriage produced six children.
Her decision to seek a divorce comes amid reports of a prolonged marital crisis, which sources linked to the fallout between Yusuf and his political godfather and father-in-law, Kwankwaso.
The report said Zainab left the Kano Government House for her father’s residence on Miller Road on October 28 before travelling to Abuja without her police orderly and other security escorts. Security operatives attached to both residences were reportedly arrested and questioned, while her elder sister and brother, Ado Kwankwaso, were also invited by the police.
In her court filing, Zainab said the marriage had broken down due to a lack of mutual care, love and affection. She added that she had lost her feelings for the governor and that efforts to resolve their differences had failed.
She also told the court that remaining in the marriage could make it difficult for her to fulfil her obligations under Islamic law. She is seeking a divorce through khul’i, a process that allows a Muslim woman to end her marriage, usually by returning the dowry paid by her husband.
Zainab has therefore offered to refund the dowry Yusuf paid on their wedding day to secure the dissolution of the marriage. Efforts to get the governor’s reaction through the Kano State Commissioner for Information, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
