Just In: Kano Gov Reportedly Begins Plot to Dump NNPP, Announces New Party Ahead of 2027
- The governor of Kano state Abba Kabir Yusuf is said to be preparing to defect from NNPP to a new party ahead of 2027 elections
- The state's grassroots leaders publicly support Yusuf's move, citing the need for a strategic shift
- Former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, acknowledged impending defection, adding that lawmakers should follow the governor
Kano state - Kano state governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is set to defect from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
Legit.ng gathered that the governor is reportedly plotting to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in a move widely seen as a strategic calculation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Source: Facebook
According to Daily Trust, multiple political sources say the defection is imminent, barring any last-minute change, and could take place in the first week of January.
The move would mark a major shift in Kano’s political landscape and weaken the NNPP, which secured the state in the 2023 polls.
Decision taken after wide consultations
Insiders disclosed that Governor Yusuf has concluded consultations with key political stakeholders across the state, including members of the Kano State House of Assembly, local government chairmen and federal lawmakers.
According to a source familiar with the discussions, the governor has “made up his mind to leave the NNPP” and is prepared to do so with or without the endorsement of his political mentor and party leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Grassroots leaders publicly back defection
Momentum for the defection gained traction over the weekend following the circulation of viral videos showing senior government officials and grassroots leaders declaring support for a move to the APC.
In one of the videos, the governor’s Director of Protocol, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, announced that political leaders in Rogo Local Government Area had resolved to follow Yusuf to the APC.
“We at Rogo Local Government, under the leadership of the Speaker, Jibrin Ismail Falgore, myself, the council chairman, caucus leaders, elders, women and youth leaders, have resolved that Kwankwaso is our leader and that he and Governor Yusuf should take us to APC. This resolution is in the best interest of our people, our country and even Kwankwaso himself,” he added.
Officials say APC move best option for now
Rogo stressed that supporters should avoid abusive politics, while maintaining loyalty to the Kwankwasiyya movement.
Source: Twitter
“We will remain in Kwankwasiyya for life, but for now, we are calling on our leaders to lead us into APC, because that is the solution for now,” he said.
Similarly, the Director-General of Media and Publicity at the Kano Government House, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, publicly endorsed the decision of his Dawakin Tofa Local Government caucus to follow the governor to the APC.
Backing the position, Dawakin Tofa LGA Chairman, Anas Danmaliki, said the Kwankwasiyya movement had split into factions but insisted that his camp would stand with the governor.
“We are wherever Governor Yusuf is,” Danmaliki said.
Responding, Dawakin Tofa added:
“I am with whatever Danmaliki said 1,000 per cent.”
Kwankwaso acknowledges looming defection
Meanwhile, Senator Kwankwaso is reported to have convened a meeting with NNPP lawmakers in Kano on Friday, December 26, where he acknowledged that Governor Yusuf was preparing to leave the party, The Cable reported.
He reportedly told the legislators that anyone willing to follow the governor was free to do so, though he expressed reservations about the rationale behind the defection.
“Will the God that gave us power in 2023 not be around in 2027?” Kwankwaso was quoted as asking.
Yusuf’s decision described as irreversible
Sources said that when lawmakers later met Governor Yusuf to seek clarification, he informed them that his decision to defect to the APC was “irreversible”.
Governor Yusuf remains the only governor elected on the platform of the NNPP in the 2023 general election, making his anticipated move a significant political development with implications for party alignments ahead of 2027.
Ganduje reacts to Kano gov, Kwankwaso defection plan
Previously, Legit.ng reported that talk around a possible defection by Kano state Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and his mentor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to the All Progressives Congress is growing louder, even though no formal confirmation has emerged.
Analysts say their arrival would pose immediate questions about control of the party structure. Some argue that the former governor and former APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, currently stands as the leading figure in the Kano chapter. Others believe that Kwankwaso’s entry with an incumbent governor could change that arrangement.
Source: Legit.ng
