Abba Yusuf, the governor of Kano State, is scheduled to leave the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the first week of January 2026, barring any last-minute changes.
According to sources who spoke to Daily Nigerian, Yusuf and Rabiu Kwankwaso, his longtime godfather and benefactor, would abruptly sever their roughly forty-year political relationship as a result of the planned defection.
Yusuf’s defection is anticipated to completely erase the NNPP off the list of political parties currently in control of any state in Nigeria, as he was the only governor elected on the party’s platform.
According to insiders, the governor has finalized plans to fully participate in the APC congresses that are set for February 2026. This step is intended to establish firm control over the party’s structure in Kano State.
Yusuf is reported to have been working covertly to gain the support of local government chairmen, members of the National Assembly, and the Kano State House of Assembly in order to fortify his camp.
According to a source, “his son-in-law, the member representing Tarauni Federal Constituency, is the only member of the House of Representatives I am certain will remain with Kwankwaso.”
“Those who represent Kumbotso, Ungogo, and Nassarawa are undecided and considering their options.”
The governor’s intended defection has reportedly received support from at least 25 of the 27 NNPP members of the Kano State House of Assembly, including Speaker Yusuf Falgore. There are two lawmakers that have passed away.
According to sources, most local government chairmen are anticipated to follow the governor, even though some are still loyal to Kwankwaso for the time being.
According to one source, “nearly all of them will eventually join the governor, but many of them are still loyal to Kwankwaso at the moment.”
Kwankwaso allegedly called NNPP lawmakers to a meeting at his Miller Road home on Friday as the defection preparations gathered steam.
Sources said that Kwankwaso informed the lawmakers that it was obvious the governor was going to join the APC and that anyone who wanted to follow him should do so.
Reminding them that they won the 2023 elections despite all odds, he allegedly questioned the reasoning behind the action.
“Will the God who gave us strength in 2023 not exist in 2027?” Kwankwaso was cited as inquiring.
According to reports, the MPs decided to talk to the governor at the conclusion of the meeting in the hopes that any political decision would be made jointly.
However, sources claimed that when they went to see Yusuf later, he informed them that his choice to join the APC was final and that he already knew the outcome of the meeting.
The deputy governor, Aminu Abdulsalam, whose impeachment is reportedly impending, may be the first to be impacted by the current political realignment.
According to insiders, Yusuf is suggesting Murtala Sule-Garo, the APC’s 2023 deputy governorship candidate, take Abdulsalam’s position.
Additionally, they asserted that Nasiru Gawuna, the APC’s 2023 governorial candidate, is being positioned for the 2027 Kano Central senatorial ticket.
The catastrophe did not appear out of nowhere. Yusuf allegedly made multiple attempts to get Kwankwaso to join the APC after the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Kano governorship election.
A growing fracture inside the Kano NNPP was revealed by Daily Nigerian in November 2024 when the governor allegedly started ignoring his godfather’s meetings and phone calls.
Abba Tsaya da Kafarka, which translates to “Abba, stand on your feet,” became popular in Kano that year as clamor for the governor to declare independence from Kwankwaso grew.
At the time, Yusuf distanced himself from the movement, rejected the report, and openly declared his allegiance to Kwankwaso.
