Kano Gov Reportedly Plans Exit from Kwankwaso Camp, Eyes APC

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) in the first week of January 2026, barring any last-minute changes.

According to sources who spoke with 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 was the only governor elected on the NNPP platform, hence it is anticipated that his defection will essentially remove the party off the list of political parties currently in power in any state in Nigeria.

According to insiders, the governor has finalized plans to fully participate in the APC congresses that are set for February 2026. This action is intended to establish firm control over the party’s structure in Kano State.

It is reported that Yusuf has been working covertly to win over members of the National Assembly, the Kano State House of Assembly, and chairmen of local governments in order to bolster his team.

According to a source, Kwankwaso’s son-in-law, who represents the Tarauni Federal Constituency, is the only member of the House of Representatives that I am positive will stay with him.

“Nassarawa, Ungogo, and Kumbotso representatives are undecided and considering their options.”

At least 25 of the 27 NNPP members of the Kano State House of Assembly, including Speaker Yusuf Falgore, were reportedly in favor of the governor’s intended defection. Two of the legislators have passed away.

Although some local government chairmen are still loyal to Kwankwaso, most are anticipated to follow the governor, according to sources.

According to one source, “nearly all of them will eventually join the governor, but many are still loyal to Kwankwaso at the moment.”

According to reports, Kwankwaso called a gathering of NNPP lawmakers to his Miller Road home on Friday as the defection plans gained traction.

Sources said that Kwankwaso informed the lawmakers that it was obvious the governor would join the APC and that anyone who wanted to follow him should do so.

Reminding them that they defeated the odds to win the 2023 elections, he allegedly questioned the reasoning behind the action.

“Will the God who granted us strength in 2023 cease to exist in 2027?” According to a quote, Kwankwaso asked.

Following the meeting, the MPs reportedly decided to talk to the governor in the hopes that any political decisions would be made together.

Sources claimed that Yusuf informed them that his choice to join the APC was final and that he was already aware of the meeting’s outcome when they tried to see him later.

Aminu Abdulsalam, the deputy governor, may be the first to be impacted by the impending political realignment.

According to insiders, Yusuf is suggesting that Murtala Sule-Garo, the APC’s 2023 deputy governorship candidate, take Abdulsalam’s position.

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

The emergence of the crisis was gradual. After the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Kano governorship election, Yusuf allegedly tried multiple times to get Kwankwaso to join the APC.

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

Abba Tsaya da Kafarka, or “Abba, stand on your feet,” became popular in Kano that year as clamor for the governor to declare independence from Kwankwaso grew.

Yusuf officially declared his allegiance to Kwankwaso at the time, rejected the report, and disassociated himself from the movement.