KANO — Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is reportedly set to defect from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the first week of January, a move that sources say is being coordinated without the backing of NNPP leader and former governor Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Daily Nigerian reported the planned defection, saying Governor Yusuf now controls 25 of the 27 NNPP members in the Kano State House of Assembly following the deaths of two members of the caucus. The report says the governor will formally join the APC early next month.
In a related development, Yusuf is said to have initiated steps to remove his deputy, Aminu Abdulsalam, through impeachment proceedings. The reported aim is to clear the deputy governorship for Murtala Sule-Garo, who was the APC’s deputy governorship candidate in the 2023 election.
Kwankwaso has publicly rejected the reported defection, according to party sources. The split between the state-level NNPP leadership aligned with Governor Yusuf and the party’s national leadership raises the prospect of legal and political contests over party membership and legislative alignments in Kano.
If the defections proceed and the assembly members follow Yusuf into the APC, the party would consolidate significant control in the state. Impeachment of the deputy governor would require formal motions and votes in the State House of Assembly and is likely to trigger legal challenges and heightened political tensions.
Requests for comment were sent to Governor Yusuf’s office, the offices of Deputy Governor Aminu Abdulsalam and NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso, and to APC state officials; none had provided an official response at the time of publication.
