Kwankwasiyya leader and chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has tackled Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf over comments about the governor being his political stooge.

‎Kwankwaso, in a recent interview with Trust TV, described the governor as “Abba PA,” someone he claimed to have lifted from a low level and made governor.
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Responding, ‎Governor Yusuf recently had challenged Kwankwaso, saying it was disrespectful that a 69‑year‑old Kwankwaso would call him a boy despite being 63 years old.
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‎But addressing supporters at his Miller Road residence in Kano on Wednesday, Kwankwaso said even former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who served two terms as his deputy, could not deny once being his boy.
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‎“I heard that some people said they dislike being called boys. If not for insolence, how could [former Reps] Mai Gidan Ruwa or Aminu Goro say they were not my boys politically? How could even Ganduje deny that he was once my boy?” Kwankwaso asked.

‎Governor Yusuf’s response was the first public rebuke of the Kwankwasiyya leader since the duo parted ways earlier this year.
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‎The governor also commented on Kwankwaso’s frequent comments on his person, saying his silence should not be mistaken for fear.
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‎He further asked Kwankwaso to respect himself, otherwise he would blow open some issues.

Since the governor left Kwankwaso, the former boss has accused him of betrayal, having won election under his platform, the NNPP, only to later defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbass, has been asked to produce records of proceedings in the Green Chamber to show that a letter announcing Kingsley Chinda’s defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, and resignation as Minority Leader, was read on the floor of the House. 

The request was made by the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, who recently filed a lawsuit asking an Abuja Federal High Court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising Chinda as a governorship candidate of the APC.

Chinda, an ally of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, minister, Nyesom Wike, emerged the governorship candidate of the APC in the May 21, 2026, primary election, following the last-minute withdrawal of other contestants – incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Tonye Cole and Alabo Dakorinama George-Kelly.

However, the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, whose members include indigenes of Chinda’s Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State, approached an Abuja Federal High Court seeking to stop him from taking part in the 2027 poll.

The plaintiff argued that the lawmaker’s defection was inconsistent with the provisions of Section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, and pronouncements of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the defection of legislators.

To back up the claim that Chinda’s defection did not follow due process, the plaintiff has requested the Speaker of the House of Representatives to produce evidence that a letter notifying the House of the development was read on the floor during plenary.

The request was made via a letter, dated May 26, 2027, signed by Jesse Williams Amuga, Esq., Administrative Secretary,

Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners.

The letter read: “Request brought pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 2011: Request for the Hansard and Votes of Proceedings and Order Paper of each day of plenary sessions of the House of Representatives, National Assembly, during the month of March and April, 2026, or any other date to ascertain whether the records can confirm the date on which the Rt. Hon. Speaker or any other presiding officer of the House of Representatives read the official letter of resignation of Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda to confirm cessation of his membership of the PDP and also to confirm his resignation as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, National Assembly.

“We write on behalf of some of the 500,000 registered constituents of Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, currently represented by Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda.

“We write to request a formal letter of response to the above-named subject-matter.

“This letter that we are requesting is a condition precedent under Section 68 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 which we seek to tender as Exhibit in a lawsuit.

“We, as lawyers representing the constituents, previously wrote a letter expressing the intentions of the said constituents. A copy of the said letter dated October 2025, to the said legislator, is enclosed/attached.”

The letter was copied to the Deputy Speaker, as well as the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Following the lawsuit filed against Chinda’s candidacy in the 2027 election, a group, the Centre for Constitutional Governance and Electoral Integrity, CCGEI, had, in a statement, declared that the Rivers lawmaker had already resigned as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives before participating in the APC governorship process and had not taken part in any PDP-related activities since then.

Revenue receipts of the federal government in 2025 were characterized by shortfalls, leading to a fiscal deficit of N328 billion in the Third Quarter (Q3) of the year.

The 2025 Q3 Budget Implementation Report released by the Budget Office of the Federation (BoF) indicated that there was no truth in claims that the Administration of President Bola Tinubu achieved its annual revenue target by August, of 2025.

According to the report, “Revenue shortfalls persisted in both oil and non-oil receipts. Total FG revenue stood at ₦7.70 trillion and expenditure reached ₦8.03 trillion, resulting in a fiscal deficit of ₦328.57 billion, financed through privatization proceeds and domestic borrowing.”

The Aggregate FGN Revenue of N7.7 trillion in the quarter under review (July – September 2025) represented 75.16% of the prorated target, the report said.

The BoF put Aggregate Expenditure (including Government Owned Enterprises (GOEs and Project-tied Loans) at ₦8.03 trillion, about 58.4 percent of the prorated ₦13.75 trillion.

It reported a below-target performance of the oil sector as a key factor for the shortfall in revenue.

According to the report, “The price of crude oil in the international market averaged $68.50 per barrel in the third quarter of 2025, which is $5.50 per barrel (7.43 percent) and $6.50 per barrel (8.67 percent) lower than $74,00 per barrel in the second quarter and the $75.00 per barrel benchmark price for 2025 budget.

“The nation in the third quarter of 2025 recorded an average daily oil production of 1.64 million barrels, lower than the second quarter of 2025 production volume of 1.68 mbpd and the production benchmark of 2.12mbpd

“Gross Oil Revenue stood at ₦4.87 trillion in the third quarter, representing a shortfall of ₦7.88 trillion (61.80 percent) from the ₦12.76 trillion prorated quarterly gross oil revenue in the 2025 Budget.”

However, the gross non-oil revenue of ₦6.52 trillion received in the quarter under review signified a marginal increase of ₦468.58 billion (7.74 percent) above the quarterly estimate of ₦6.05 trillion.

The report showed, “The net distributable revenue for the three tiers of government after cost deductions stood at ₦10.29 trillion in the third quarter of 2025, representing a shortfall of ₦6.57 trillion (38.98 percent).”

The Q3 report highlighted the challenge posed by high debt servicing obligations of the federal government, as debt servicing took N3.41 trillion, way higher than non-debt recurrent expenditure of N2.66 trillion.

It said, “A total of ₦2.66 trillion was spent on non-debt recurrent expenditure in the third quarter of 2025. This represents a decrease of ₦739.01 billion (21.75 percent) from the quarterly estimate of ₦3.40 trillion

“Total Debt Service in the third quarter of 2025 stood at ₦3.41 trillion, indicating a decrease of ₦171.90 billion (4.80 percent) below the ₦3.58 trillion projected for the quarter.

“The sum of ₦1.80 trillion was projected for domestic debt servicing during the period under review. The amount used for domestic debt servicing was however ₦111.07 billion or 6.18 percent above the projection for the quarter.

“External debt service was ₦1.69 trillion in the quarter, ₦211.72 billion or 12.55 percent below the prorate projected figure for the period.”

The report’s upticks included Aggregate GDP at basic price which rose to ₦113.59 trillion in nominal terms in the quarter under review when compared Year-on-Year with the third quarter of 2024, which recorded an aggregate GDP of ₦96.16 trillion.