Barring any last-minute change, Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, is expected to defect from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the first week of January 2026, a move widely seen as capable of altering the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election.
Sources familiar with the development said the planned defection would end Governor Yusuf’s long-standing political association with his mentor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement and founder of the NNPP. The relationship has spanned nearly four decades.
Governor Yusuf is currently the only sitting governor elected on the platform of the NNPP. His defection would leave the party without control of any state government, raising concerns about its strength and relevance ahead of the next election cycle.
Political insiders revealed that the timing of the move is strategic. With the APC scheduled to hold its congresses in February 2026, the governor is believed to be positioning himself to participate actively in the process and influence the party’s structure in Kano State.
The expected defection is likely to have far-reaching implications for Kano politics, one of Nigeria’s most influential electoral states. If Governor Yusuf succeeds in consolidating power within the APC, it could reunite Kano under the ruling party, weaken opposition forces, and marginalise the Kwankwasiyya movement, which has dominated the state’s politics in recent years.
Such a shift would place the APC in a stronger position ahead of the 2027 governorship and presidential elections, particularly in grassroots mobilisation and access to federal influence.
For Kwankwaso and the NNPP, the potential loss of Kano, the party’s strongest base, could significantly reduce their national relevance and complicate plans for the 2027 elections.
Sources within the NNPP noted that the move could also trigger realignments among Kano’s political elites, lawmakers and local power brokers, many of whom may be forced to choose between loyalty to Kwankwaso’s ideology and alignment with the growing influence of the ruling party.
As preparations for 2027 intensify, Governor Yusuf’s anticipated defection is shaping up to be one of the most consequential political developments in Kano State, with effects likely to extend beyond the state.
