Senator Yari Joins Qadiriyya Faithful at the Annual Maukibi in Kano

Distinguished Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari was in Kano on Saturday, 3 October 2026, to join followers of the Qadiriyya order at the annual Maukibi celebration at Darul Qadiriyya, Kabara.

He attended on a formal invitation from the Leader of the Qadiriyya Movement in Africa, His Eminence Sheikh Qaribullahi Sheikh Muhammad Nasiru Kabara, whose family has hosted the gathering for generations.

"Today in Kano, I had the pleasure of joining Qadiriyya followers for their annual Maukibi Festival," the Senator wrote afterwards. "It was a wonderful opportunity to share in a celebration of faith, unity and our rich Islamic heritage. May Almighty Allah continue to strengthen the bonds of peace, love and togetherness among our people. Ameen."

Arrival in Kano

Senator Yari flew into Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in the morning, where he was received on the tarmac by party leaders, friends and well-wishers who had come out to welcome him. After greetings at the airport, his convoy moved into the city.

His first stop was Kano State Government House, where he paid a courtesy call before the day's main event. He exchanged greetings with the state's leadership and with other guests who had come to Kano for the celebration, many of them old friends from his years in public life.

From Government House, the delegation proceeded to Kabara.

What the Maukibi is

For anyone outside Kano, the scale of the Maukibi is hard to picture. Every year, followers of the Qadiriyya, one of the oldest Sufi orders in Islam, travel to the city from across Nigeria and from neighbouring countries to honour the memory of Sheikh Abdulqadir al-Jilani, the twelfth-century scholar from whom the order takes its name.

The celebration centres on Darul Qadiriyya in the old city, the seat of the Kabara family, and spreads through the surrounding streets in a procession of banners, drums, recitation and prayer. The order's red and green flags fly over the grounds. Whole families come, often walking long distances, and many stay for days.

Over the decades the Maukibi has become one of the largest religious gatherings in West Africa, and one of the clearest public expressions of Kano's long tradition of Islamic learning.

Among the faithful

At the venue, Senator Yari joined the host, Sheikh Qaribullahi Nasiru Kabara, along with traditional rulers, Islamic scholars, political leaders and dignitaries from several states. The crowds around Kabara were enormous, filling every road leading to the grounds.

The Senator was invited to address the gathering. He thanked Sheikh Qaribullahi for the invitation and congratulated the Qadiriyya family on another successful Maukibi. He spoke about the role that the Sufi orders have played for centuries in teaching the faith, in keeping communities together, and in calling people to patience, humility and service.

He said gatherings like the Maukibi show what the people of northern Nigeria share across state lines and across differences of politics. People had come from Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi and beyond, and for a day they stood together as one family of believers.

He prayed for peace in Kano, in Zamfara and across the country.

Faith, unity and heritage

The three words in the Senator's own reflection, faith, unity and heritage, were chosen with care.

Faith, because the Maukibi is first a religious occasion, and he attended it as a Muslim among Muslims, not as a politician looking for a crowd.

Unity, because the Qadiriyya brings together people from many places and backgrounds, and because Senator Yari has made national unity a constant theme of his public life, from his years as Governor of Zamfara State to his work in the Senate.

Heritage, because Kano's scholarly tradition belongs to the whole of the North, and to Nigeria. Zamfara, the Senator's home state, shares much of that history, from the Sokoto Caliphate to the networks of scholars and students that have linked the two states for centuries.

The Kabara family

The Kabara family has led the Qadiriyya in Kano for generations. The late Sheikh Muhammad Nasiru Kabara was one of the most influential scholars of twentieth-century West Africa, a teacher, author and spiritual guide whose students spread across the region. His son, Sheikh Qaribullahi, has carried that work forward as leader of the movement in Africa, and the Maukibi remains the most visible expression of the family's place in the life of Kano.

An invitation from the Kabara household is not given lightly. Senator Yari's presence at Darul Qadiriyya reflected the respect in which he holds the family and the warmth of the relationship between them.

A relationship of respect

Senator Yari has long kept close ties with Islamic scholars and religious leaders across the North. He has visited the major Sufi centres, and received scholars at his residences in Gusau, Abuja and Kaduna.

His attendance at the Maukibi was in keeping with that history. He went to Kabara at the invitation of a respected leader of the faith, to pay his respects and to share in the prayers.

A full week

The Kano trip came during a busy period for the Senator. Days earlier he had been in Gusau, where he joined His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto and other leaders at the commissioning of the reconstructed Sambo Dan-Ashafa Jumu’at Mosque, and met Islamic scholars including Sheikh Yusuf Sambo Rigachikum. His schedule since taking up the role of Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council has taken him across the country.

Through all of it, he has made time for occasions like the Maukibi, where the business of the day is prayer, fellowship and respect.

Prayers for the nation

Before leaving Kabara, Senator Yari joined the congregation in prayers for the country, for the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and for peace and prosperity in every community.

He thanked the people of Kano for their warm welcome and the Qadiriyya family for their hospitality, and expressed the hope that the bonds of peace, love and togetherness on display at the Maukibi would continue to grow among the people of Nigeria.