Barring any last-minute change, Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, is set to defect from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), triggering fresh political tremors across the state.
According to Daily Trust, governor Yusuf is likely to make the move with or without the blessing of his political mentor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the national leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement.
Insiders revealed that Yusuf has firmly made up his mind after wide consultations with key stakeholders across Kano, including members of the State House of Assembly, local government chairmen, and federal lawmakers from the state.
The defection plot gained momentum on Sunday after a viral video surfaced showing the Governor’s Director of Protocol, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, openly declaring support for Yusuf’s planned move to the APC.
Flanked by party leaders in Rogo Local Government Area, Rogo disclosed that influential figures within the Kwankwasiyya movement in the LGA had resolved that both Kwankwaso and Governor Yusuf should defect to the APC.
READ ALSO: APC Wins Kano Re-Run Election, Defeats NNPP
“We at Rogo Local Government, under the leadership of Speaker Jibrin Ismail Falgore, myself, the council chairman, caucus leaders, elders, women and youth leaders, have resolved that Kwankwaso is our leader, and that he and Governor Yusuf should take us to APC,” Rogo said.
He argued that the decision was taken in the best interest of the people and the country, adding that Kwankwaso’s long-standing presidential ambition could be better realised within the APC.
“We believe his presidential ambition can be realised in APC if we join now,” he added.
Rogo also urged supporters to avoid abusive politics, stressing that despite the planned defection, loyalty to the Kwankwasiyya ideology remains intact.
“We will remain in Kwankwasiyya for life, but for now, we are calling on these leaders to lead us into APC, because that is the solution,” he said.
READ ALSO: Kwankwaso Reveals Conditions For Dumping NNPP To Rejoining APC
In another video, the Director-General, Media and Publicity at the Kano Government House, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, also threw his weight behind the move, endorsing the decision of his Dawakin Tofa LGA caucus to follow the governor to APC.
Speaking at a meeting of NNPP caucuses, the Dawakin Tofa LGA Chairman, Anas Danmaliki, claimed that the Kwankwasiyya movement had split into “pro-masses and anti-masses”, declaring that he and all his councillors were firmly aligned with Governor Yusuf.
Backing the stance, Sanusi Bature said:
“I, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, as one of the caucus of the party in the LGA, am with whatever Danmaliki said 1,000 percent.”
Sources disclosed that Governor Yusuf is expected to formally announce his defection in the first week of January, a move that could significantly reshape Kano’s political landscape ahead of 2027.
READ ALSO: NNPP Faction Asks Gov. Yusuf To Resign Within 48 Hours
Kwankwaso Reacts, Acknowledges Exit
Meanwhile, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was said to have summoned members of the Kano State House of Assembly to a meeting on Friday, where he acknowledged that Governor Yusuf was set to leave the NNPP.
According to sources, Kwankwaso told the lawmakers that anyone willing to follow Yusuf was free to do so, but expressed reservations about the reasons being advanced for the defection.
He reportedly reminded them that the NNPP won the 2023 election against all odds, saying the victory was divinely ordained.
“Will the God that gave us power in 2023 not be around in 2027?” Kwankwaso was quoted as asking rhetorically.
‘My Decision Is Final’ — Yusuf
A source further disclosed that when lawmakers later sought an audience with Governor Yusuf, he made it clear that his decision to join the APC was “irreversible.”
Governor Yusuf remains the only governor elected on the platform of the NNPP in the 2023 general election, making his impending defection a major blow to the party and a significant boost for the APC in Kano.
As political actors brace for the formal announcement, all eyes are now on Kano — where the battle lines for 2027 may already be taking shape.