Abdullahi Gali Shitu, the ousted Kumbotso Local Government Chairman in Kano State better known as Comrade Abdullahi Gali Basaf, has gone back to full-time tailoring after a court stripped him of office, saying the trade offers more stability than politics ever did.
Basaf led Kumbotso until March 2026, when the Kano State High Court nullified his Certificate of Return and named Ali Musa, popularly called Hardworker, the rightful winner. He now runs a tailoring shop in Sheka Ward with about 20 employees, and says he’s not stopping there.
“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,” he told Daily Trust.
His plan: modernise the business, launch a garment company, and create jobs for more than 50 people.
“My goal is to modernise tailoring, establish a garment company, and employ 50 or more people. I want to contribute to the economy,” he said.
Basaf holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Political Science and had white-collar options open to him. He chose tailoring anyway, out of passion, and now wants young Nigerians to stop looking down on skilled trades.
“Value your trade more than politics, because it sustains you and enables you to support your political activities,” he said.
His political résumé runs deep. He founded Kwankwasiyya Reporters in 2015, chaired the Alliance National Party in Kano, ran for Senate in 2019, and later joined the NNPP, where he served as Senior Special Assistant on Information. He won the Kumbotso chairmanship in 2024 before the court overturned it this year.
Looking back, Basaf called tailoring “a noble profession, even greater than holding political office.”
“Politics can change overnight. You can be in the 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’s not walking away from politics for good, though. Public engagement, he said, still has a place in his life.
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