Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf says former APC national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje has no right to order him around—because he, Yusuf, now leads the party in Kano State.
The governor was pushing back at critics who slammed him for dumping the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the All Progressives Congress.
Yusuf blames the jump on bitter infighting inside the NNPP, arguing the switch saved Kano from a bigger political blow-up.
“I raised alarms about where the party was heading, but nobody listened,” he told supporters. “We moved early so millions of Kano people wouldn’t pay the price. Today the state is calm and the facts speak for themselves.”
He brushed off accusations of betraying the Kwankwasiyya Movement, pointing out that several members quit the group without warning. “If that’s not disloyalty, why am I the only one being questioned?”
When he asked the crowd who leads APC in Kano, they shouted back his name.
“I left a party where I stood alone and joined one with over 31 governors—betrayal or progress?” he asked.
Yusuf called the defection a step forward, saying it boosts his clout. He admits he and Ganduje treat each other cordially, yet draws a clear line: “Respect doesn’t equal control. He can’t give me instructions—I’m the leader here.”
