Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has dismissed moves by some United States lawmakers to sanction him over alleged religious freedom violations, describing the development as the handiwork of political enemies.
Kwankwaso stated this during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday while reacting to reports that his name was listed in a proposed US congressional bill targeting individuals linked to alleged human rights abuses in Nigeria.
The proposed legislation, titled Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, reportedly seeks increased accountability over religious freedom violations and includes provisions for possible sanctions against Fulani militias and some Nigerian political figures.
Reacting to the development, the former Kano State governor insisted that the allegations against him were politically motivated.
“My name was submitted by our enemies here in this country to the US Congress,” Kwankwaso said.
He explained that the controversy was linked to the introduction of Sharia law in Kano State during his administration in the early 2000s.
According to him, he initially approached the issue cautiously and insisted on studying the legal and social implications of the law before giving assent.
“When Sharia came from Zamfara in the year 2000, I wanted to study it carefully, even as a Muslim, to understand it properly,” he stated.
Kwankwaso said some individuals at the time accused him of lacking enthusiasm for the implementation of Sharia because he did not personally initiate the bill.
He noted, however, that the legislation eventually passed through the State House of Assembly and was presented to him in line with constitutional procedures.
“Some people were too much in a hurry. They believed I was not keen, and somebody wrote a private bill to the State Assembly. Before long, it passed through due process and was submitted for signing,” he explained.
The former governor said his administration examined the bill and found nothing inconsistent with the law, adding that refusing assent would not have stopped its implementation.
“We studied it and realised there was nothing there that should stop us. Even if I didn’t sign it, the implication was that it would automatically become law after some time,” he added.
Kwankwaso described it as ironic that he was now being blamed for the introduction of Sharia in Kano despite earlier criticism from some quarters that he was reluctant to support the policy.
“While some people were angry with me then for not being enthusiastic about Sharia, today somebody is blaming me for it,” he said.
