Ousted Kano LG Chair Returns To Tailoring, Says Politics Not A Permanent Profession 

Former Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government Area in Kano State, Abdullahi Gali Shitu, popularly known as Comrade Abdullahi Gali Basaf, has returned to his tailoring business months after a court nullified his election and removed him from office.

Basaf, whose tenure as council chairman ended in March 2026, said his decision to resume tailoring was deliberate and meant to demonstrate that politics should not be viewed as a permanent profession or an individual’s only means of livelihood.

Speaking with Daily Trust on Wednesday, the former council boss said public office should be seen as an opportunity to serve, while politicians should maintain sustainable sources of income outside government.

According to him, tailoring has been his primary occupation for more than a decade and played a crucial role in funding his political ambitions.

“Tailoring is not a small trade. It is a major one. It sustains livelihoods. Even in politics, my tailoring business helped me financially to support my campaigns and organisations. Without it, it would have been impossible to sustain political activities,” he said.

Basaf currently runs a tailoring shop in Sheka Ward, Kumbotso Local Government Area, where he oversees about 20 apprentices.

He revealed plans to transform the business into a garment manufacturing company capable of employing at least 50 people.

“My goal is to modernise tailoring, establish a garment company, and employ fifty or more people. I want to contribute to the economy,” he said.

The former chairman encouraged young Nigerians to embrace vocational skills, stressing that technical trades remain valuable despite the growing attraction to politics and white-collar employment.

“My message is that they should not despise trades; they should value and modernise them,” he advised.

Basaf argued that vocational skills provide greater long-term security than political office, which he described as uncertain.

“Value your trade more than politics because it sustains you and enables you to support your political activities,” he said.

Despite holding Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science, he said tailoring remains his passion and the business he intends to expand into a major enterprise.

Before becoming chairman of Kumbotso Local Government, Basaf founded the Kwankwasiyya Reporters platform in 2015, served as Kano State chairman of the Alliance National Party, contested for a Senate seat in the 2019 general election, and later joined the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), where he served as Senior Special Assistant on Information.

He was elected chairman of Kumbotso Local Government in 2024, but his victory was overturned in March 2026 after the Kano State High Court nullified his Certificate of Return and declared Ali Musa, popularly known as Hardworker, as the duly elected chairman.

Although he remains active in politics, Basaf said his tailoring business will always come first.

“Politics can change overnight. You can be in office today and out tomorrow. But tailoring remains. It feeds you, it supports your family, and it allows you to help others,” he said.

He added that while he has no intention of quitting politics, he believes every politician should have a dependable profession to fall back on outside public office.