Breaking: Kano's Kwankwaso Sends Key Message to Supporters Reportedly Under Pressure to Join APC
- Ahead of the 2027 elections, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has made a notable move "to diffuse" the current political tension in Kano state
- Kwankwaso stated that 'those who are being arm-twisted and forced to join the defection wave should feel free to go'
- Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano and national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), warned members of the party against political betrayal
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Kano, Kano State - Ahead of the 2027 elections, Rabiu Kwankwaso, national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), on Tuesday, January 13, advised his supporters in Kano to sign any documents indicating their consent.
In a video obtained by Legit.ng, the former governor issued the directive in Hausa, citing alleged intimidation by the Kano state government.
Source: Facebook
Kano: Kwankwaso counsels supporters amid pressure
According to the 69-year-old, his instruction aims to ease the burden on his followers, who he said are under pressure to leave the NNPP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Premium Times quoted Kwankwaso as saying:
“Several of our supporters who currently hold political appointments, as well as members of the State Assembly, have reached out to me in distress. Many of them have been unable to sleep at night; some have reportedly been hospitalised, receiving medical treatment, while others are showing signs of severe emotional strain.
“After consulting closely with my associates, we agreed, purely in the interest of easing tension and protecting the well-being of our supporters, that anyone who is asked to sign such documents should do so.”
Legit.ng reports that the NNPP leader’s remarks confirm the widening rift in the NNPP, which governs only Kano and has a majority of the state's lawmakers as its members.
However, the rumoured defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is not peculiar to Kano State or indeed to the NNPP. Several top politicians from opposition parties are rumoured to want to defect to the APC, Nigeria’s ruling party. Many others, including those of Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Delta, have already abandoned their former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the APC, fuelling concerns in some quarters that Nigeria is moving towards a one-party state.
Here are the key points mentioned by Kwankwaso in the video:
- Kwankwaso stated that the Governor Yusuf-led Kano government has introduced a system of intimidating chairmen, councillors, and public office holders. They were reportedly given forms to write their names and declare their allegiance to either the Kwankwasiyya or Gandujiyya (loyalists of Abdullahi Ganduje) factions.
- He expressed deep dissatisfaction with these developments, recalling previous instances of betrayal. The Kwankwasiyya leader noted that despite these challenges, the masses showed overwhelming support for his political group in the past.
- Kwankwaso mentioned that the current chairmen and councillors were selected through a dignified process by a committee he headed, and he expressed pride in the work they are currently doing at the local government level.
- Kwankwaso disclosed that he received numerous calls from elected chairmen and councillors regarding a document they were allegedly compelled to sign, indicating their intention to follow Governor Yusuf to the ruling APC.
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Source: UGC
- He noted that many of these serving politicians were so distressed by the pressure to join the APC that some were even hospitalised and placed on intravenous fluids (drip), due to the stress.
- In light of this, 'and out of a desire to ease the burden on his followers,' Kwankwaso has officially given the go-ahead to any chairman, councillor, and other public officials asked to sign the pro-APC document to go ahead and sign it.
- He explained that this decision is intended to bring relief to those who trust him as their leader, stating he has a responsibility to ensure they do not suffer unnecessary political hardship.
The full 9-minute clip, shared by Saifullahi Hassan, Kwankwaso’s media aide, can be viewed below:
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Kwankwaso loyalists absent at Yusuf's event
Legit.ng earlier reported that as reports of Yusuf’s planned defection from the NNPP to the APC circulate, loyalists of Kwankwaso have reportedly distanced themselves from the governor.
Governor Yusuf made his first public appearance in over a week at a graduation and empowerment ceremony for 2,260 beneficiaries of state-run institutes, including the Film, Poultry, Livestock, Driving, Fisheries, Horticulture, Informatics, and Development Journalism Institutes.
Source: Legit.ng
