Former presidential candidate and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed strong disappointment over the defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the party, insisting that the governor and his political allies would eventually regret the move.
Kwankwaso said the governor’s decision to leave the NNPP came as a major shock, noting that many people initially believed it was part of a political arrangement. He admitted that he also found it difficult to comprehend how events had unfolded.
Governor Yusuf formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, January 26, 2026, after announcing his resignation from the NNPP on January 23, barely three years after winning the governorship election on the party’s platform.
At the defection ceremony, Yusuf said his decision was guided by his evaluation of Nigeria’s political landscape and his belief that aligning with the APC would better position Kano State for development. He stated that he consulted widely with stakeholders before taking the step.
However, in his first interview since the defection, Kwankwaso told the BBC that he was deeply saddened that the governor had, in his words, “handed over the mandate of NNPP members and the people of Kano to the Gandujiyya political camp” without sufficient justification.
Kwankwaso said he had repeatedly reflected on the development, questioning whether he, the party, or its members were at fault, but had been unable to identify any compelling reason for the governor’s exit. He maintained that the issues cited by Yusuf could have been resolved through dialogue and cooperation, and dismissed claims of internal crisis within the NNPP.
According to him, the party remains one of the most peaceful and stable in the country, arguing that disputes are common in parties only when they conduct conventions and candidate selection processes.
On claims by some defectors that they still uphold the Kwankwasiyya ideology, Kwankwaso said political alignment requires consistency, stressing that those who truly believe in the movement should remain within the platform that represents it.
He also criticised the warm reception given to Yusuf by former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, describing it as evidence that the governor had already suffered a political setback. Kwankwaso argued that if Ganduje truly possessed the power to determine electoral victories, he would have done so in the 2019 and 2023 elections.
Kwankwaso concluded that Yusuf and his associates would face significant political challenges within the APC and insisted that, whether or not the governor returns to the NNPP, he would ultimately regret his decision.
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