Kano Assembly Endorses Governor Yusuf’s ‘Planned Defection’ To APC

The Kano State House of Assembly has expressed support for a possible defection by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), warning that persistent internal crises and court cases within the party could endanger his reelection.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, the Majority Leader of the House, Lawan Hussaini, said the NNPP’s unresolved leadership tussles and multiple litigations had created legal uncertainty that could negatively affect the governor and other elected officials in the state.

Hussaini noted that conflicting court judgements recognising different factions of the party had raised concerns about the legitimacy of its leadership and nominations for electoral contest. According to him, remaining on the NNPP platform could expose its office holders to serious legal risks. “We cannot afford to stay in a party where court cases are ongoing and the future of its structure is uncertain,” he said, adding that the situation could mirror the political crisis that once engulfed Zamfara State.

Recall that despite the APC’s sweeping victory in the 2019 general election in Zamfara State, internal disputes over primaries led the Supreme Court to declare that the party had no valid candidates. The court subsequently voided the party’s votes and awarded victory to candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who met constitutional requirements, handing the governorship to Bello Matawalle.

The Majority Leader disclosed that members of the House were holding consultations with Governor Yusuf and the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to explore a collective decision on leaving the NNPP for what he described as a more secure political platform, including the All Progressives Congress (APC). “There is an existing court judgement that recognises a particular faction of the NNPP,” Hussaini said. “We cannot continue to remain in the party and risk a repeat of the legal disaster that happened in Zamfara State.”

Hussaini also emphasised that they will keep striving to ensure consensus was reached between Kwankwaso and Yusuf. “We have been going back and forth between them and we hope to reach a consensus that will see both of them heading in the same direction. We don’t take any of the recent remarks by Kwankwaso to heart because he is an elder and I believe the governor will also not give much stock to them, so we will keep trying to cajole and appease him so we can move forward together just as we came in together.”

However, the defection talk has widened cracks within the Kwankwasiyya political family. Senator Kwankwaso has publicly criticised the idea of Governor Yusuf defecting to the APC, insisting that the governor should vacate the office he won on the NNPP platform if he intended to leave the party.

Although Governor Yusuf has not publicly responded to his political mentor’s remarks, repeated accusations of betrayal from Kwankwaso have fuelled speculation of growing tension between the two allies.