Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is facing a major political backlash from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) following reports of his imminent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The move, which insiders suggest is scheduled for early January 2026, has triggered a severe rift between the governor’s camp and the Kwankwasiyya movement led by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Addressing journalists on Monday, December 29, 2025, the Kano State Chairman of the NNPP, Hashim Suleiman Dungurawa, described the planned defection as a “gross betrayal” of the trust of the Kano people who voted for the party in 2023.
He clarified that neither the state nor the national leadership of the party—nor Senator Kwankwaso himself—approved of the governor’s alignment with the APC.
“It is a betrayal of the people of Kano who elected this party,” Dungurawa stated.
“I want to make it clear that our national leader and other stakeholders do not approve of what is happening.
“We did everything within our power to persuade them to be patient and remain committed to the NNPP, but it seems they are not ready to listen.”
The crisis reached a peak after the Governor’s Director of Protocol, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, and other stakeholders from Rogo and Dawakin Tofa Local Government Areas publicly declared their support for the defection.
Rogo argued that the move was necessary to secure Governor Yusuf’s second-term ambition and fulfill the presidential aspirations of Senator Kwankwaso, whom they urged to join the transition.
While the Governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, confirmed a growing internal rift within the party, he initially declined to comment on the specific defection reports.
However, Bature later voiced support for the decision of his local government caucus to follow the governor’s lead, stating he was “1,000 percent” in agreement with the move.
If the defection materializes on January 6, 2026, as speculated, the NNPP will lose its only sitting governor.
There are also reports that the realignment could lead to a change in the deputy governorship office, with Kabiru Alhassan Rurum being considered as a potential replacement for the current deputy governor, Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, who is expected to remain in the NNPP.
Dungurawa further warned party members against signing any documents at the Government House that would endorse the defection, urging residents to remain calm as the party leadership navigates the “mischief” being circulated by political actors
