US sanctions bill against me handiwork of political enemies — Kwankwaso

Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has reacted to a proposed bill before the United States Congress seeking sanctions against him over alleged religious freedom violations.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, Kwankwaso described the development as the handiwork of “enemies” within Nigeria.

Very Nigerian had earlier reported that lawmakers in the United States introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, a bill aimed at increasing accountability for alleged human rights and religious freedom abuses in Nigeria.

The proposed legislation reportedly contains provisions for possible sanctions against Fulani militias and Kwankwaso.

Reacting to the development, the former Kano governor denied wrongdoing and linked the allegations to the introduction of Sharia law in Kano State during his administration.

“My name was submitted by our enemies here in this country to the US Congress,” Kwankwaso said.

He explained that when Sharia law spread from Zamfara State in 2000, his administration took time to study the proposal before adopting it in Kano.

“I really wanted to study, and even as a Muslim to understand it,” he stated.

According to him, some individuals at the time accused him of not being enthusiastic enough about the implementation process because he did not personally initiate the legislation.

“Some people were too much in a hurry. They wouldn’t wait, and they believe that I was not keen, and somebody wrote a private bill to the State Assembly,” he said.

Kwankwaso added that after reviewing the bill, his administration found no reason to reject it, noting that it would have automatically become law even without his assent.

“We studied it, and we realized that it was very important. And we have not seen anything there that actually should stop us,” he added.

The former governor argued that it was ironic for him to now face allegations tied to Sharia implementation in Kano more than two decades later.

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