Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is set to defect from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reports indicate that the defection is expected to take place on January 6, 2026, with or without the approval of his political mentor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Sources said the governor reached the decision after extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including members of the Kano State House of Assembly, local government chairmen and some federal lawmakers from the state.
In a video that circulated on Sunday, the governor’s Director of Protocol, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, announced that political leaders and stakeholders in Rogo Local Government Area had resolved to follow Governor Yusuf to the APC. He said influential figures within the Kwankwasiyya movement in the area had agreed that both Kwankwaso and Yusuf should defect.
Rogo said leaders, elders, women and youth groups in the local government had unanimously agreed that joining the APC was in the best interest of Kano State and the country, adding that Kwankwaso’s presidential ambition could be better pursued within the ruling party.
He also urged supporters to avoid abusive politics, stressing that while they remain loyal to the Kwankwasiyya ideology, joining the APC was the most viable option at the moment.
Similarly, the Director-General of Media and Publicity at the Kano Government House, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, publicly supported the decision of stakeholders in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area to follow the governor to the APC.
At a meeting of NNPP caucus members in the area, the local government chairman, Anas Danmaliki, said the Kwankwasiyya movement had split into factions, but maintained that he and his councillors would align with Governor Yusuf wherever he goes.
Governor Yusuf is the only sitting governor elected on the platform of the NNPP in the 2023 general election. If he defects, the number of APC governors nationwide will rise to 29, further strengthening the ruling party, which has already absorbed several governors from opposition parties since 2023.
