Former presidential candidate and national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared that Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, and his political allies will ultimately regret their decision to part ways with the party. He described the governor’s exit as shocking and deeply disappointing to party loyalists across the state.
Okay News reports that Kwankwaso made the remarks in his first media interview since Governor Yusuf officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking candidly, the NNPP leader said the defection came as a surprise not only to the public but also to him personally, noting that many people initially believed the move was part of a hidden political arrangement.
Governor Yusuf formally resigned from the NNPP on Friday, January 23, 2026, and completed his defection to the APC three days later, less than three years after securing the Kano governorship on the NNPP platform. At the event marking his defection, the governor said his decision was informed by his assessment of Nigeria’s political direction and his belief that aligning with the APC would better serve the development needs of Kano State.
Kwankwaso, however, rejected that explanation, stating that the governor handed over the mandate freely given by NNPP members and Kano voters to a rival political camp without convincing justification. He said he had repeatedly reflected on the situation, questioning whether the fault lay with himself, the party, or its members, but found no reason strong enough to justify the defection.
The former Kano governor also dismissed claims of internal crisis within the NNPP, which Governor Yusuf reportedly cited as one of his reasons for leaving. Kwankwaso insisted that disagreements are common in all political parties and maintained that the NNPP remains one of the most peaceful and stable political platforms in the country.
Addressing former party members who claim to still believe in the Kwankwasiyya ideology after leaving the NNPP, Kwankwaso said the situation was contradictory. He argued that genuine commitment to the movement requires loyalty to the party, stressing that one cannot abandon the platform and still claim to represent its ideals.
Kwankwaso further criticised the public display of support shown to Governor Yusuf by former Kano State governor and APC national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, during the defection ceremony. He described Ganduje’s gesture of raising Yusuf’s hand as politically meaningless, adding that if Ganduje truly had the power to guarantee electoral victory, past election outcomes would have been different.
Expressing confidence in the future of the NNPP, Kwankwaso said Kano State remains firmly rooted in the party and that efforts are underway to build strategic alliances aimed at repositioning the country politically. He concluded by stating that even if Governor Yusuf does not return to the NNPP, he and his associates will face serious challenges within the APC and will eventually regret their decision.
