By Ayo Ayodele
Former presidential candidate and NNPP leader Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has expressed confidence that Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf will eventually regret leaving the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Kwankwaso described Governor Yusuf’s recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as surprising and disappointing. The governor formally resigned from the NNPP on January 23, 2026, and announced his APC membership on January 26, 2026, less than three years after winning the governorship under the NNPP platform.
In his first media comments since the defection, Kwankwaso told the BBC that Governor Yusuf “handed over the mandate of NNPP members and the people of Kano to the Gandujiyya political camp” without adequate justification. He questioned the reasons cited for leaving the party, noting that the issues could have been resolved through dialogue and cooperation.
Kwankwaso dismissed claims of internal crisis within the NNPP, saying, “No political party is completely free of grievances, but to the best of my knowledge, there is no party more peaceful and stable than the NNPP.”
On the defection’s political implications, Kwankwaso criticized the public manner in which former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje welcomed Yusuf into the APC, asserting that it reflected political overconfidence. He added, “If Ganduje truly had the power to raise someone’s hand to victory, he would have done so in 2019 and 2023.”
Kwankwaso also reaffirmed the strength of the Kwankwasiyya movement, stressing that Kano remains the NNPP’s stronghold and that efforts are underway to build alliances to strengthen the party’s influence in the region.
The NNPP leader, known for his popularity among young people and the loyal red-cap supporters of Kwankwasiyya, has a long political legacy in northern Nigeria, tracing back to his tenure as governor and his mentorship of future leaders, including Abba Kabir Yusuf.