Kano governor’s defection sparks outrage as NNPP cites political betrayal
The National Working Committee of the New Nigeria Peoples Party has condemned the resignation of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the party, describing the move as a betrayal of the mandate freely given to him by the people of the state.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, the NNPP rejected the governor’s assertion that his departure was due to an unresolved internal crisis, insisting that the claim was unfounded and raised only after his decision to leave the party.
Governor Yusuf formally resigned from the NNPP on Friday and is expected to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
His spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, confirmed the development in a statement, explaining that the governor communicated his decision through a resignation letter addressed to the NNPP chairperson of Diso-Chiranchi Ward in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State.
According to Bature, the governor stated in the letter: “I write with a deep sense of gratitude to formally notify the leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party of my decision to resign my membership of the party, with effect from Friday, 23rd January 2026.”
Reacting to the development, the NNPP said it received the news with deep pain and disappointment, stressing that Yusuf emerged as governor on the strength of the Kwankwasiyya political movement and the overwhelming trust of the Kano electorate.
The party said it deeply regretted that a leader who benefited from years of loyalty and support within the Kwankwasiyya Movement had chosen a path it described as a betrayal of the confidence reposed in him by the people of Kano State.
The NNPP warned that the governor’s defection could undermine the political and developmental progress recorded in the state, arguing that his move risks returning Kano to political forces previously rejected by voters.
Dismissing claims of internal instability, the party pointed to its recent organisational achievements, noting that it successfully conducted congresses from the ward level to the national convention held on 20 December 2025. The exercise, it said, was supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission and attended by Governor Yusuf himself.
The party also cited its victories in two supplementary legislative elections conducted in August 2025 as further evidence that the party remains stable and cohesive, insisting that claims of an irredeemable internal crisis were without merit.
Drawing historical parallels, the NNPP recalled the defection of former Kano State governor, Abubakar Rimi, in the early 1980s, which it said ultimately resulted in electoral rejection. The party noted that most lawmakers who defected alongside Rimi failed to secure re-election.
According to the NNPP, history has consistently shown that political disloyalty often attracts the judgment of the electorate.
Despite its criticism, the party appealed for calm among its supporters and residents of Kano State, urging them to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
It called on the more than one million voters who supported Governor Yusuf’s election, as well as Nigerians at large, to remain restrained, expressing confidence that the people of Kano State would continue to uphold principled leadership and remain committed to the ideals that brought about political change in the state.