Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, the second wife of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has reportedly filed for divorce at an Upper Area Court in Gudu, Abuja, offering to return the dowry paid during their marriage.
Zainab, who is associated 
with the family of former Kano State Governor and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, instituted a civil suit marked CV/97/26, seeking the dissolution of her marriage to the governor.
The court has reportedly summoned Governor Yusuf to appear on November 17, 2026, in connection with the divorce proceedings.
The couple got married on July 29, 2006, when Zainab was serving as an aide to her father. Their marriage produced six children.
In her court filing, Zainab reportedly stated that the marriage had suffered a prolonged breakdown, citing a lack of mutual care, love, affection and emotional connection.
She also disclosed that she had lost her feelings for the governor and that repeated efforts to resolve their differences and restore harmony had failed.
The governor’s wife further expressed concerns that remaining in the marriage could make it difficult for her to fulfil her marital obligations under Islamic principles.
She is seeking to end the marriage through Khul’i, an Islamic divorce procedure that allows a woman to seek separation from her husband, usually by returning the dowry or offering compensation.
The development comes amid an ongoing political disagreement between Governor Yusuf and his former political mentor and father-in-law, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Their relationship reportedly became strained following Yusuf’s departure from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), under which he won the 2023 governorship election, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
