Kano Governor Set to Leave Kwankwaso, NNPP for APC

The governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, 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 godfather and longtime sponsor, 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 power in 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 actively participate in the APC congresses that are set for February 2026. This step is intended to firmly establish control over the party’s structure in Kano State.

According to reports, Yusuf has been working covertly to win 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 that I am certain will remain with Kwankwaso.”

“Those who represent Kumbotso, Ungogo, and Nassarawa are unsure and considering their options.”

According to reports, the governor’s intended defection has the support of at least 25 of the 27 NNPP members of the Kano State House of Assembly, including Speaker Yusuf Falgore. There are two deceased lawmakers.

According to sources, the majority of local government chairmen are anticipated to follow the governor, even though some are still loyal to Kwankwaso.

One insider stated, “Almost all of them will eventually join the governor, but many of them are still loyal to Kwankwaso at the moment.”

Kwankwaso reportedly called NNPP MPs 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 was welcome to do so.

He allegedly reminded them that they won the 2023 elections despite all odds and questioned the reasoning behind the action.

“Will the God who granted us authority in 2023 cease to exist in 2027?” Kwankwaso was said to have inquired.

According to reports, the parliamentarians decided to talk to the governor at the conclusion of the meeting in the hopes that any political decision would be made collaboratively.

However, sources claimed that when they went to see Yusuf later, he informed them that he already knew the conclusion of the meeting and that his choice to join the APC was final.

The deputy governor, Aminu Abdulsalam, who is rumored to be about to be impeached, 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, to succeed Abdulsalam.

Additionally, they asserted that Nasiru Gawuna, the APC’s 2023 governorial candidate, is being positioned for the Kano Central senatorial ticket in 2027.

The crisis did not appear overnight. Yusuf reportedly made multiple attempts to get Kwankwaso to join the APC after the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Kano governorship race.

A growing fracture inside the Kano NNPP was revealed by Daily Nigerian in November 2024 when the governor allegedly started skipping his godfather’s calls and meetings.

Abba Tsaya da Kafarka, which translates to “Abba, stand on your feet,” became popular in Kano the same 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 publicly declared his allegiance to Kwankwaso.