Breaking: Tinubu Meets Strong Opposition Governor Amid Controversies
- President Bola Tinubu meets Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano amid defection rumours and political tensions
- Speculation surrounds Yusuf's potential switch from NNPP to APC, stalling negotiations over automatic election tickets
- Kwankwaso denies endorsing Yusuf's defection, while APC leaders celebrate the potential political gain for 2027
President Bola Tinubu has met with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. The president hosted the governor at his office at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Governor Yusuf was spotted at the presidential villa in his White Agbada and red cap when he entered the villa at about 4:10pm on Monday, January 19.
Source: Twitter
There have been speculations over the alleged move of the governor to dump the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kano governor's defection stalled
However, Daily Trust reported that the new development indicated that the negotiation had stalled over the claim that the governors in the APC are not being promised an automatic ticket in the 2027 elections.
The alleged defection of Governor Yusuf from the NNPP to the APC has been on for weeks, leading to tension between his supporters and those of his political godfather, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Details of President Tinubu's meeting with the governor, but could not be unconnected with the planned defection.
Kwankwaso denies endorsing Governor Yusuf's defection
Recently, Kwankwaso, the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and former presidential candidate of the NNPP, denied a report that he endorsed the reported defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano from the party to the ruling APC.
Kwankwaso, who was a former governor in the state, made the denial in a statement by his media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, on Tuesday, January 13, saying that the claim was misleading, false and did not have any basis in fact.
According to the Tribune, the former governor reacted to the publication by some media, which claimed that he had supported the defection of the Kano governor from the NNPP to the APC.
APC chieftain speaks on Governor Yusuf's defection
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the APC, Atoyebi Paul, in an interview with Legit.ng, celebrated the coming of the Kano governor into the ruling party and lamented that Kwankwaso would not be joining him. He said"
"It's a big catch for APC and all of us are happy about this, the only issue here is that Kwankwaso is not coming with the governor because he wants to negotiate for a bigger role in the next government in 2027."
President Tinubu has been making efforts to record a landslide victory in the next cycle of elections, and Kano is one of the states where large votes are being gathered. Thus, bringing the Kano governor into the APC would be a plus for the ruling party, even though the party was defeated in the 2023 general election, when the state was under the APC.
Two Kano lawmakers die suddenly
Legit.ng earlier reported that Kano state has been found in deep mourning as two lawmakers from the state house of assembly suddenly died within a short period of time on Wednesday, December 24.
The two lawmakers who died on the same day are Aminu Sa'adu, popularly known as Aminu Saad Ungogo, and Sarki Aliyu Daneji.
Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the spokesperson to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, reportedly confirmed the incident in a social media post.
Source: Legit.ng
