The Digest:
New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) leader Rabiu Kwankwaso has returned to Nigeria following a "strategic international engagement" in India, his first public appearance since being named in a proposed US congressional bill seeking sanctions over alleged religious freedom violations. Kwankwaso arrived at Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Sunday, received by NNPP National Chairman Dr Ajuji Ahmed, Kano deputy governor Aminu Gwarzo, and other Kwankwasiyya Movement members. Party spokesman Ladipo Johnson confirmed the former presidential candidate attended meetings with educational institutions in India and received an award, clarifying "that was where he was before all these false narratives broke out." The proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 recommends visa bans and asset freezes against Kwankwaso, Miyetti Allah groups, and Fulani militias. Kwankwaso has not publicly commented on the sanctions threat.
Key Points:
- Kwankwaso's return brings him back to Nigeria's political spotlight amid escalating international pressure.
- The sanctions threat has galvanised opposition support around the embattled former governor.
- Kwankwaso gains sympathy as a targeted figure, while NNPP rallies in his defence.
- This signals the potential politicisation of US sanctions in Nigeria's pre-election dynamics.
- The timing, with his return, allows Kwankwaso to directly address the allegations.
Kwankwaso's party maintains the US allegations are "false narratives," but the former governor faces mounting pressure to publicly respond to the proposed sanctions.
Sources: The Punch, NNPP Statement
TAGS
Rabiu Kwankwaso, NNPP,
