Barring any last-minute change, the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, is set to defect from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the first week of January 2026.
Sources told Daily Nigerian that the planned defection would bring an abrupt end to about four decades of political association between Yusuf and his long-time benefactor and godfather, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
As the only governor elected on the platform of the NNPP, Yusuf’s defection is expected to effectively wipe the party off the map of political parties currently controlling any state in Nigeria.
“Those representing Nassarawa, Ungogo and Kumbotso are on the fence and weighing their options.”
It was gathered that at least 25 of the 27 NNPP members of the Kano State House of Assembly, including the Speaker, Yusuf Falgore, have endorsed the governor’s planned defection. Two of the lawmakers are deceased.
Sources added that although some local government chairmen remain loyal to Kwankwaso for now, most are expected to follow the governor.
“Many of them are still loyal to Kwankwaso at the moment, but almost all of them will eventually join the governor,” one source said.
As the defection plans gained momentum, Kwankwaso reportedly summoned NNPP lawmakers to a meeting at his Miller Road residence on Friday.
According to sources, Kwankwaso told the legislators that it had become clear the governor was heading to the APC and that anyone who wished to follow him should feel free to do so.
He reportedly questioned the rationale behind the move, reminding them that they won the 2023 elections against the odds.
“Will the God that gave us power in 2023 not be around in 2027?” Kwankwaso was quoted as asking.
At the end of the meeting, the lawmakers reportedly agreed to seek dialogue with the governor, hoping that any political decision would be taken jointly.
However, sources said when they attempted to see Yusuf afterward, he told them he was already aware of the meeting’s outcome and that his decision to join the APC was irreversible.
The unfolding political realignment may first affect the deputy governor, Aminu Abdulsalam, whose impeachment is said to be imminent.
Insiders said Yusuf is proposing the APC’s 2023 deputy governorship candidate, Murtala Sule-Garo, as Abdulsalam’s replacement.
They also claimed that the APC’s 2023 governorship candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, is being positioned for the Kano Central senatorial ticket in 2027.
The crisis did not emerge suddenly. Following the Supreme Court judgment on the Kano governorship election, Yusuf reportedly made several attempts to persuade Kwankwaso to join the APC.
In November 2024, Daily Nigerian reported a deepening rift within Kano NNPP after the governor allegedly began avoiding meetings and phone calls from his godfather.
That same year, a political slogan, Abba Tsaya da Kafarka (“Abba, stand on your feet”), gained traction in Kano, reflecting growing calls for the governor to assert independence from Kwankwaso.
At the time, Yusuf publicly pledged loyalty to Kwankwaso, dismissed the report and distanced himself from the movement.
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