The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it is open to welcoming the former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, into its fold, following the defection of Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State to the ruling party.
The APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, made this known during an interview on Trust TV on Sunday.
“Our doors are still open for Kwankwaso to join the APC. If he comes, he’s mostly welcome. Though we are not yet in negotiation with him yet,” Yilwatda said.
Yilwatda’s comments come on the heels of Governor Abba Yusuf’s defection to the APC, a major political development that occurred on Friday, alongside several members of the Kano State House of Assembly.
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The defection marks a significant setback for the NNPP, which won Kano in 2023 under the influence and leadership of Kwankwaso, a former governor of the state and the party’s national figurehead.
In reaction to the defection, Kwankwaso expressed deep disappointment, admitting that Yusuf’s move caught him and many Nigerians off guard.
“Frankly, it came as a big shock, not just to me, but to many Nigerians.
“To be honest, even now, it still feels unreal. Sometimes I lie down and feel like it was all a dream. The way the whole thing happened left many people confused,” Kwankwaso said.
Kwankwaso had played a pivotal role in Yusuf’s emergence as governor in the 2023 elections, making the defection all the more politically significant and emotionally charged.
