Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the head of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s attempts to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) have further exacerbated their disagreement.
Kwankwaso allegedly established a loyalty register for political office holders in response to rumors that Yusuf was willing to leave the NNPP for the APC in order to gauge their support for his leadership.
Kwankwaso’s action was timed to coincide with the governor’s 63rd birthday celebration in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, which was attended by prominent party leaders and government officials.
Yusuf celebrated the event in the Federal Capital Territory, but Kwankwaso avoided the event and instead had “engagement meetings” at his Kano home with NNPP stakeholders, including Kwankwasiyya Movement members, according to sources.
The two leaders’ actions and reactions have polarized the NNPP and split its members in the National Assembly, according to sources who spoke to The Nation.
The governor is said to have the support of all 44 local government chairmen in the state as well as the 40-member Kano State House of Assembly, which is presided over by Speaker Jibril Isma’il Falgore.
On the potential defection, NNPP federal MPs from Kano have yet to unite.
Thirteen of Kano’s twenty-one members of the House of Representatives were elected using the NNPP platform.
Umar Mukhtari Zakari (Tarauni), one of the NNPP’s representatives, has openly criticized the planned defection.
However, Abdulmumin Jibrin (Bebeji/Kiru), Yusuf Rabiu (Sumaila/Takai), Aliyu Sani Madaki (Dala), and Sani Abdullahi (Karaye/Rogo) have already joined the APC.
Additionally, Sagir Ibrahim Koki (Kano Municipal) and Kabiru Usman (who won a rerun in Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya under the NNPP) have joined the ruling party.
The official defection was supposed to take place on Monday, but the APC national leadership decided to push it back until January 12.
Yusuf was supposed to be welcomed into the party by APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
According to party insiders, the event was rescheduled to allow for additional discussions with Kano National Assembly members and other important stakeholders who have not yet given their complete support to the change.
Yusuf has not yet obtained an APC membership card or officially registered at his ward, according to a close associate of the governor.
According to reports, the defection is a part of a larger political realignment that aims to enhance Yusuf’s candidacy for the governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 elections and position him for a senior position in the Kano APC.
It is rumored that Kwankwaso is thinking of switching to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in protest after rejecting the proposal.
The Kwankwaso-led Kwankwasiyya organization would be severely damaged by Yusuf’s departure, according to sources, since the former governor had previously promised that no one would betray the organization and escape unpunished.
Hashimu Dungurawa, a Kwankwaso loyalist, was also removed from his position as state chairman of the NNPP as a result of their disagreement.
Yusuf then named Alhaji Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as the state’s acting chairman.
A Kano State High Court maintained Dungurawa’s suspension and prohibited him from acting as chairman while the lawsuit was being decided.
The NNPP national secretariat, however, rejected the modification, calling it a nullity, and proceeded to permanently disband the party’s state, local, and ward executives.
Yusuf’s defection is being viewed by the APC as a significant political victory that could deprive the NNPP of its lone governorship seat and reduce its national significance.
Party leaders anticipate that the action will strengthen the APC’s hold on Kano and improve its prospects for winning the federal election in 2027.
Former governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who lead the Kano APC power group, have publicly stated that they are willing to collaborate with Yusuf.
Ganduje has encouraged the governor to feel free to join the ruling party, as has Abdullahi Abbas, the state’s APC chairman.
However, it is believed that Yusuf’s projected entry into the APC will lead to internal competition, especially over the 2027 governorship ticket.
Barau Jibrin’s own goal for the ticket may be weakened by the development, according to political observers, and it may also change Kano’s discussions, alliances, and voter alignments.
While Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) switched to the APC last year and is no longer associated with the Kwankwasiyya leader, Senator Rufai Sani Hanga (Kano Central) is still in the NNPP alongside Kwankwaso, despite Barau’s apparent indifference.
