Abba Set to Defect to APC in First Week of January

By Our Reporter

Barring any last-minute change, the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, is expected to defect from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the first week of January 2026. Yusuf’s defection would bring to an abrupt end nearly four decades of political association with his longtime benefactor and godfather, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

As the only sitting governor elected on the platform of the NNPP, Yusuf’s exit would effectively remove the party from the list of political parties controlling any state in Nigeria. With the APC’s congresses scheduled for February, the governor is said to have perfected plans to participate fully in the process, with the aim of taking control of the party structure in Kano State.

To strengthen his political base ahead of the defection, the governor has reportedly been working behind the scenes to secure the support of members of the National Assembly, the Kano State House of Assembly, and local government chairmen.

“The only member of the House of Representatives I am certain will remain with Kwankwaso is his son-in-law, who represents the Tarauni Federal Constituency. Members representing Nassarawa, Ungogo, and Kumbotso are still weighing their options,” a source familiar with the development said.

At least 25 of the 27 NNPP members of the Kano State House of Assembly—two of whom are deceased—have reportedly endorsed the governor’s planned defection, including the Speaker, Jibril Ismail Falgore. Sources further disclosed that a significant number of local government chairmen have also aligned with the governor.

“Some of the chairmen are still loyal to Kwankwaso for now, but I can tell you that almost all of them will eventually follow the governor,” one of the sources added.

As the defection plans gathered momentum, Senator Kwankwaso reportedly summoned members of the State House of Assembly to a meeting at his Miller Road residence on Friday. During the meeting, he told the lawmakers that it had become apparent the governor was leaving the NNPP for the APC and stated that any member who wished to follow him was free to do so.

Kwankwaso was also said to have expressed disappointment over the lack of convincing justification for defecting to the APC, noting that the party won elections in 2023 without the backing of powerful interests.

“Will the God that gave us power in 2023 not still be around in 2027?” he reportedly asked rhetorically.

At the end of the meeting, the lawmakers agreed to engage the governor in further dialogue, with the aim of ensuring that any major political decision would be taken collectively. However, when they later sought to meet the governor, he reportedly told them he was fully briefed on the Miller Road meeting and that his decision to join the APC was irreversible.

Deputy Governor’s Impeachment Imminent

The Deputy Governor of Kano State, Aminu Abdulsalam, may emerge as the first casualty of the political upheaval expected to hit the NNPP in Kano. Insiders revealed that, as part of efforts to consolidate support among APC power brokers in the state, Governor Yusuf is proposing the party’s 2023 deputy governorship candidate, Murtala Sule-Garo, as Abdulsalam’s replacement.

Similarly, the APC’s 2023 governorship candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, is reportedly being positioned for the Kano Central senatorial ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.

Past Defection Moves

Following the Supreme Court judgment on the Kano governorship election, the governor reportedly made several attempts to persuade Kwankwaso to join the APC. Since November last year, relations within the Kano NNPP have deteriorated, with the governor allegedly avoiding party meetings and refusing to take calls from his political mentor.

In 2024, a political slogan—“Abba Tsaya da Kafarka” (Abba, stand on your own)—gained popularity in Kano, reflecting growing calls for the governor to part ways with Kwankwaso. At the time, Yusuf publicly reaffirmed his loyalty to Kwankwaso and distanced himself from the movement.

More recently, following reports of the governor’s possible defection, Speaker Jibril Ismail Falgore and the Director-General of Protocol to the Governor, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, led NNPP leaders from Rogo Local Government Area in appealing to both Kwankwaso and Yusuf to join the APC.

The appeal followed a stakeholders’ meeting of NNPP leaders, ward chairmen, and caucus members from Rogo Local Government Area, where participants unanimously resolved to urge the two political heavyweights to align with the ruling party. Addressing journalists in Kano, Rogo said the meeting reviewed the political situation in Kano State and at the national level.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso nor Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had publicly responded to the appeal. Efforts to reach the governor’s spokesman, Sunusi Dawakin Tofa, for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to him went unanswered.