Can Kano Gov Yusuf's Plan to Join APC Be Reversed? Close Sources Speak on Next Move
- Top government sources say Governor Abba Yusuf’s planned defection from NNPP to APC is irreversible, despite strong opposition from NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso
- The governor is expected to defect with key political structures, including most federal and state lawmakers, local government chairmen, and principal officers of the House
- Observers say the move is driven by political survival and alignment with the federal government, rather than internal party betrayal
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
The planned defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has become irreversible, multiple close sources within the state government have disclosed.
This is despite strong opposition from the NNPP’s national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who has warned that Governor Yusuf must vacate office if he leaves the party that brought him to power.
Source: Twitter
Kwankwaso, the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and former Kano state governor, had publicly insisted that the mandate secured in the 2023 governorship election belonged to the NNPP, not to any individual.
He also reiterated that any political alliance he would consider must guarantee him either the presidential or vice-presidential ticket in future elections.
However, a highly placed source at the Government House in Kano told LEADERSHIP that Governor Yusuf’s decision to join the APC has moved beyond speculation and internal consultations.
“The process can no longer be reversed. The governor has concluded consultations and is moving with the majority of the political structure in the state,” the source said.
Yusuf to defect with Assembly members
According to the source, Yusuf is expected to defect alongside nine of Kano’s 13 members of the House of Representatives, 20 of the 27 members of the Kano State House of Assembly — including the Speaker and all principal officers — as well as 42 of the 44 local government chairmen across the state.
The source further disclosed that Kwankwaso’s refusal to align with the APC is largely linked to his inability to secure either the presidential or vice-presidential slot on the party’s platform, a position he reportedly reiterated during a recent meeting with supporters at his Miller Road residence in Kano.
On the internal crisis rocking the NNPP in Kano, the source said Governor Yusuf has effectively taken control of the party’s structure in the state following the suspension of the former state chairman, Hashim Dungurawa.
Source: Twitter
The source added that the suspension was subsequently upheld by the Kano State High Court, a development that, in their view, renders the National Working Committee’s dissolution of the state executive committees — from ward to state level — a violation of an existing court order.
“This has placed the party’s national leadership in a difficult legal position, as the court ruling remains valid,” the source said.
Kano gov mum
Efforts by the LEADERSHIP to obtain official reaction from the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, were unsuccessful, as he has largely avoided media engagement since the political crisis escalated.
Meanwhile, Kwankwaso, while addressing supporters in Kano, maintained that the Kwankwasiyya Movement remains open to political alliances but only on conditions that ensure he occupies either the number one or number two position in any future political arrangement.
Political observers in Kano, however, have described Governor Yusuf’s planned defection not as an act of betrayal but as a strategic political realignment with the federal government, aimed at ensuring political stability and securing greater developmental opportunities for the state.
Kwankwaso sets conditions for joining APC
Legit.ng earlier reported that NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso says he will only defect to another party if offered the presidential or vice-presidential ticket for 2027.
He disclosed that the APC invited him to join, but he rejected the offer due to the absence of clear benefits for him and his political structure.
Kwankwaso also criticised Kano governor Abba Yusuf’s planned defection to the APC, describing it as a betrayal.
Kano governor’s plan to breakaway from Kwankwaso
Legit.ng earlier reported that Kano State governor Abba Yusuf is poised to defect from the NNPP to the APC in January 2026, ending his decades-long political alliance with Rabiu Kwankwaso.
His move was expected to erase NNPP’s presence from Nigeria’s political map of ruling states and reshape Kano’s political landscape.
Sources revealed that the governor had already secured the backing of lawmakers and local government chairmen, making his defection appear irreversible.
Source: Legit.ng
