Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, wife of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and daughter of former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has reportedly approached a court in Abuja seeking dissolution of her marriage to the governor.
According to a report by Daily Nigerian, Zainab filed a civil suit, identified as CV/97/26, before the Upper Area Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja.
The court reportedly summoned Governor Yusuf to appear on November 17, 2026, following the filing.
Zainab is also said to have offered to refund the dowry paid during the marriage, a move consistent with the Islamic divorce procedure known as khul’i, through which a woman can seek the dissolution of her marriage.
The couple reportedly got married on July 29, 2006, and have six children together.
The reported divorce move comes amid a political fallout between Governor Yusuf and his former political benefactor and father-in-law, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Yusuf was elected governor in 2023 on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), with Kwankwaso’s political support. However, the relationship between the two political figures reportedly deteriorated following Yusuf’s defection from the NNPP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The political disagreement has fuelled speculation about possible tensions within the family, although it has not been independently established that the political rift is responsible for the reported divorce proceedings.
Meanwhile, sources cited in the report claimed that Zainab left the Kano Government House on October 28 and moved to her father’s residence on Miller Road, Kano, before subsequently travelling to Abuja by air.
She reportedly travelled without her police orderly or other security personnel attached to her.
The development has attracted public attention because of the prominent political families involved and the longstanding relationship between Governor Yusuf and Senator Kwankwaso.
However, the reported court filing does not mean the marriage has been legally dissolved. The outcome of the proceedings is expected to become clearer following the governor’s reported court appearance.
