Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf
• Kwankwaso demands written agreement before joining APC
• APC pushes decision on Kwankwaso’s ‘stringent conditions’ to Tinubu
Last-minute efforts to avert political acrimony between Governor Abba Yusuf and his political godfather and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, have hit a brick wall, following Kwankwaso’s insistence that he would not walk blindly into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yusuf said his defection is irrevocable, even as his deputy, Aminu Gwarzo, elected to stick to Kwankwaso, risking imminent impeachment from office.
Kwankwaso, yesterday, indicated interest in joining the APC, clarifying that he was not averse to the ruling party but was being cautious due to past experience.
Checks by The Guardian revealed that all entreaties to the governor to rescind his decision to join the APC, where he risks aligning with Kwankwaso’s estranged political ally, Abdullahi Ganduje, failed to sway the governor.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has agreed to formally receive Governor Yusuf alongside other prominent politicians from the state into the APC when he returns from the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It was also gathered that upon his entry into the ruling party, Yusuf will control 60 per cent of the Kano APC structure, leaving the remaining 40 per cent to the aboriginal members, in a harmonisation arrangement being worked out by the party’s national leaders.
The governor’s defection from the opposition NNPP will significantly reduce Kwankwaso’s political clout in the state, even as some members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, under the aegis of Kwankwasiyya Rebirth, elected to follow the governor into APC.
Kwankwaso’s failure to restrain another perceived loyal lieutenant from defecting to the APC further consolidated Tinubu’s foothold in Kano ahead of the 2027 general election.
While the efforts to keep the governor under Kwankwaso lasted, Yusuf’s foot soldiers reached out to influential leaders in the state and secured significant support from members of the federal and state legislatures, council chairmen, and a large percentage of the cabinet, who endorsed his defection to the APC.
Kwankwaso’s vehement rejection of the defection to APC, which was meant to psychologically weigh down the governor, fell flat, even when he directed political appointees loyal to him to “conditionally” accept Yusuf’s realignment with APC.
At a meeting with supporters, Kwankwaso had declared: “The appointees are in a dire situation; they are disturbed since the issue of going to Tinubu and Ganduje’s party came up. A number of local government chairmen and some councillors have called me, lamenting their dilemma.
“Some are in distress and hospitalised, while others are having sleepless nights. After due consultation, in view of the fact that our supporters have given so much towards bringing the government and the government is owing them, we call on the chairmen, councillors and all others to append their signatures. If signing the loyalty list will take them out of the distressing situation they found themselves and also douse the tension in the state, so be it.”
While several key Kwankwasiyya loyalists say they will not bow to any pressure to join APC, the deputy governor, Gwarzo, affirmed his loyalty to Kwankwaso, stressing that he will not migrate with Governor Yusuf to APC, but stand strong with Kwankwaso and remain in NNPP.
While addressing NNPP supporters from Rano and Dawakin Tofa local councils, who paid him a loyalty engagement visit in his residence in Kano, Kwankwaso told them that his strategic move is to protect them and maintain leverage in negotiations with Tinubu and the APC leadership.
Kwankwaso said his position on Yusuf’s possible defection had been misunderstood.
“I didn’t say I won’t join APC, but we must first be clearly assured of the future of Kano government before we join the APC. What will be the fate of our lawmakers and other supporters before we agree to defect? I will not go to the APC blindly. I must be clearly informed of my role, the direction of the journey, and the fate of our plans for the common people,” he said.
Recalling a previous political alignment, Kwankwaso said his camp had played a significant role in forming the Muhammadu Buhari-led government but was later sidelined.
He emphasised that any defection must be based on clear assurances regarding the protection of his supporters and the Kano government structures.
