This victory bolstered Hayatu's following and influence, leading to an alliance with Rabih az-Zubayr, a Sudanese warlord and Mahdist sympathiser.

His mother, Khadijah, was the daughter of Sarkin Rafi Idrisu, who belonged to the family of Gidado dan Laima, the second Waziri of Sokoto.

He also participated in the administration of Gandi (in modern-day Rabah), a ribat (fortified frontier garrison) under the command of his father.

"[2] However, Asma'u G. Saeed notes that the large population of non-Muslim slaves in the ribat, some of whom had considerable political influence, made it difficult for learned Islamic scholars like Hayatu to implement Sharia law.

Not long after returning to Sokoto, in 1878, Hayatu left the city and settled in Adamawa, located at the easternmost end of the caliphate.

Historian Sa'ad Abubakar suggested that "Hayatu may have become disenchanted with affairs in Sokoto after his father’s failure to become Caliph."

Saeed remarked that the reason behind his emigration, and that of "many other scholars," was likely due to his perceived "declining moral and intellectual standards within the Sokoto Caliphate."

[2]As a descendant of Usman dan Fodio and a respected scholar, Hayatu was well received in Yola, the capital of Adamawa.

In 1882, Hayatu left Yola to journey to the 'East', about a year after the Sudanese Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad, made his announcement.

His followers built a school, market, and mosque, which served as centers for disseminating Hayatu's ideas about his jihad and the advent of the Mahdi.

Muhammad Ahmad replied, appointing Hayatu as his deputy (amil) over the Sokoto Caliphate and instructing him to "declare the jihad on anyone who disobeys God and His messenger and rejects our Mahdism."

[2] Hayatu began sending messages to the governors of neighboring districts—Kalfu, Marua, Bogo, Madagali, Uba and Moda—urging them to "fulfill Uthman's instructions" by submitting to the Mahdi upon his appearance.

They avoided violent conflict with him due to his importance as a member of the Sokoto royal family and the political nature of the situation, believing the Lamido of Adamawa to be the most suitable to resolve it.

Hayatu's community, dominated by young and religiously minded men, peacefully cohabited with other Muslims and were marked by their uniform, the patched jibba of the Mahdiyya in Nilotic Sudan.

They pointed out that some key signs that were to precede the appearance of the Mahdi, such as wars and major disturbances, "had not fully manifested themselves in the empire."

Unlike Sanda, Zubeiru was "a more determined and strong character, who apparently did not nurse any similar deep-seated respect for Hayatu."

During the wet season of 1891, Zubeiru sent a letter to Hayatu urging him to abandon his ambitions to take over Adamawa and to settle in Yola.

His new wife, Hauwa, was described by Émile Gentil, a French colonial officer, as an intelligent but depraved woman who was accustomed to wearing male clothing.

Citing Rabih's reputation as a tyrannical leader, Gentil further suggested that Hayatu "could not have approved of Rabah's actions.

He sent secret letters to his supporters, including Jibril Gaini of Gombe, informing them of his intention to break the alliance with Rabih.

In January 1898, while Rabih was on a military campaign against the French, Jibril sent about fifty horsemen to escort Hayatu out of Dikwa.