Indications have emerged that Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has secured the backing of a majority of elected officials, party executives and influential support groups across the state ahead of his planned defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP to the All Progressives Congress APC.
Sources disclosed that the development followed weeks of extensive consultations across Kano’s political landscape and signals a significant break in the long standing political alliance between Governor Yusuf and his mentor, former governor and NNPP national leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso, who has openly opposed the governor’s planned move, has reportedly opened a “loyalty register” at his Miller Road residence in Kano to document elected officials and political groups willing to remain with the NNPP.
Despite this counter move, it was gathered that Governor Yusuf has attracted substantial support from within the influential Kwankwasiyya political movement, pointing to an internal realignment that appears to weaken Kwankwaso’s grip on the structure.
Supporters of the governor argue that the planned defection is intended to free the administration from what they describe as Kwankwaso’s excessive political influence, allowing Governor Yusuf to pursue governance and development priorities independently.
Opponents, however, have described the move as a betrayal of the political struggle that brought the NNPP to power in Kano State.
As of Monday, sources said Rufa’i Sani Hanga, the senator representing Kano Central, along with three members of the House of Representatives, Mukhtar Yarima of Tarauni, Abdulkarim Ado of Wudil and Garko, and Sani Wakili of Minjibir and Ungogo, affirmed their loyalty to Kwankwaso by signing the register.
However, it was also gathered that Governor Yusuf currently enjoys the backing of 21 members of the House of Representatives, including lawmakers from the APC.
An APC member of the House of Representatives, Ado Doguwa, has publicly declared the party’s support for the governor’s planned transition.
Sources further revealed that the governor commands the loyalty of the majority of the 25 NNPP lawmakers in the Kano State House of Assembly.
Some legislators, including Yusuf Aliyu of Nasarawa and Zakariyya Ishaq of Kura and Garun Malam, are said to remain aligned with Kwankwaso. The lawmaker representing Madobi Local Government Area, Kwankwaso’s home council, is reportedly undecided.
At the grassroots level, sources indicated that all 44 local government chairpersons, their deputies and ward level executives across the state have chosen to align with Governor Yusuf.
Similarly, several Kwankwasiyya aligned organisations, including Lafiya Jari and the Community Reorientation Committee CRC, have reportedly shifted their allegiance to the governor.
In a further setback for Kwankwaso’s political base, a Peoples Democratic Party PDP splinter group known as Option A, which previously served as a quiet support bloc for him, has dissolved and aligned with Governor Yusuf.
Governor Yusuf, long regarded as Kwankwaso’s most loyal political ally for nearly four decades, was initially expected to announce his defection earlier in January. However, the move was postponed to allow for further consultations with federal lawmakers in order to ensure a smooth exit from the NNPP.
The NNPP currently controls only one governorship seat nationwide, which is Kano.
Political analysts note that Governor Yusuf’s defection could significantly weaken the NNPP by stripping it of its strongest political base and reducing the influence of both the party and Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general elections.
