Twenty-one members of the Kano State House of Assembly have officially defected from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defections were announced on Monday, shortly after Governor Abba Yusuf formally resigned from the NNPP. The governor’s resignation followed his recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
In a letter addressed to the chairman of Diso-Chiranchi ward in Gwale Local Government Area (LGA), Yusuf cited “deepening internal crises” and “prolonged leadership disputes” within the NNPP as the main reasons for his departure.
Governor Yusuf’s exit was accompanied by 21 state assembly members, eight members of the House of Representatives, and all 44 local government chairmen in Kano.
Among the assembly members who defected are Speaker Jibril Ismail Falgore (Rogo), Deputy Speaker Muhammad Bello Butu Butu (Tofa/Rimin Gado), Majority Leader Lawan Hussain (Dala), Deputy Majority Leader Garba Shehu Fammar (Kibiya), and Chief Whip Muddasir Ibrahim Zawachiki (Kumbotso).
Other defectors include Zakariyya Abdullahi Nuhu (Gabasawa), Lawal Tini (Ajingi), Musa Tahir Haruna (Albasu), Ali Lawan Alhassan (Bagwai/Shanono), Ali Muhammad Tiga (Bebeji), Hafiz Gambo (Bunkure), Rabiu Shuaibu (Dawakin Kudu), Tukur Mohammed (Fagge), Murtala Muhammad Kadage (Garko), and Abdulmajid Isah Umar (Gwale).
Engr. Ahmad Ibrahim (Karaye), Alhassan Zakari (Kura/Garun Malam), Suleiman Mukhtar Ishaq (Madobi), Abdulhamid Abdul (Minjibir), Muhammad Ibrahim (Rano), Kabiru Sule Dahiru (Tarauni), and Ali Abdullahi Manager (Wudil) also joined the APC.
Reacting to the defection, NNPP national leader Rabiu Kwankwaso condemned the move, declaring January 23 as “World Betrayal Day.” Kwankwaso had been instrumental in Yusuf’s electoral victory through the Kwankwasiyya movement during the 2023 governorship election.
The mass defection marks a significant realignment in Kano state politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
