Nigeria's 2027 general election is approaching, and opposition figures are preparing to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former Kano State governor and vice-presidential hopeful of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), recently appeared on Channels Television's Politics Today programme. He addressed critical questions on the NDC's economic policy, regional security challenges in Northern Nigeria, and political realignments ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
During the interview, Kwankwaso made several claims that were fact-checked by DUBAWA. One of his claims was that Kano State collected over N1 trillion in revenue, including federal allocations, during recent years. However, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that Kano State earned approximately N780.94 billion from May 2023 to August 2026, falling short of Kwankwaso's claim by around N219.06 billion.
Kwankwaso also claimed that during his last months as Governor, Kano State received N4 billion monthly for the state government and N4 billion monthly for local governments, totalling N8 billion per month from federal allocations. However, data collated from the NBS showed that Federal allocation only started nearing the N4 billion mark around April and May 2015, when he handed over to Abdullahi Ganduje. Kano State earned N8 billion in Federal allocation only in May 2015.
Kwankwaso stated that in 2003, the gubernatorial and presidential elections were combined on the same day for the first and only time in Nigerian history. Available records showed that Nigeria conducted the 2003 presidential and gubernatorial polls on Apr. 19, 2003, confirming Kwankwaso's claim as true. This has not occurred in any other election year.
Kwankwaso also made claims about the 2023 elections in Kano State, stating that the PDP gubernatorial candidate received roughly 15,000 votes, whereas the NNPP candidate secured over 1 million votes. Data from the electoral commission confirmed that Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) garnered 1,019,602 votes, while Sadiq Wali of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had 15,957 votes.
Additionally, Kwankwaso claimed that Kano State provided 100% free education from primary school to university during his eight years as governor. However, findings revealed that he declared and implemented the free and compulsory education policy only toward the end of his second term, in December 2013. The policy took effect only in the 2014 budget session and lasted until May 2015.
In conclusion, Kwankwaso's claims on federal allocations, election results, and education were fact-checked and found to be misleading or true. His claims on Kano State's revenue and federal allocations were found to be exaggerated, while his claims on the 2003 elections and the 2023 elections in Kano State were confirmed as true.
Key points
- - Kwankwaso's claim that Kano State collected over N1 trillion in revenue is misleading. - Kano State did not receive N8 billion monthly in federal allocations during Kwankwaso's last months as governor. - The 2003 presidential and gubernatorial polls were held on the same day, confirming Kwankwaso's claim as true.
