Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano State and National Leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, has declared that any decision to join the All Progressives Congress must be preceded by firm guarantees regarding the retention of the Kano State government and the protection of party supporters currently holding elective and appointive positions.
Kwankwaso made the declaration on Wednesday during a meeting with leaders and supporters from Rano and Dawakin Tofa Local Government Areas at his Miller Road residence in Kano. The gathering, which also included members of various Kwankwasiyya groups, was convened to reaffirm loyalty to the NNPP amid mounting speculation over possible defections within the party’s leadership.
“I didn’t say I won’t join APC, but we must first be clearly assured of the future of the Kano State government before we join the APC. What will be the fate of our lawmakers and other supporters before we agree to defect?” Kwankwaso said, according to statements reported from the meeting.
The former governor drew on past political experiences to underscore his concerns, recalling instances when members of his political faction contributed to the formation of governments only to be marginalised afterwards. Kwankwaso served as a founding member of the APC before leaving the party in 2018 to join the Peoples Democratic Party, and later moved to the NNPP ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“In the past, we joined and contributed to forming the government, but later we were abandoned. That was why we left the party. Have they now changed their position toward us? Everyone knows the role we played at that time,” he added.
Kwankwaso’s remarks come against the backdrop of persistent rumours surrounding the political future of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, widely regarded as a protégé of the former governor. Speculation has intensified in recent weeks that Yusuf may be considering a defection to the APC, a move that would represent a significant realignment in Kano’s political landscape and potentially weaken the NNPP’s stronghold in the state.
The veteran politician stressed that no credible assurances had been provided to guarantee the continuation of the party’s political structure in Kano, a state that has historically served as the bedrock of the Kwankwasiyya Movement’s influence.
“Up till now, no one has given me a clear assurance that we will be allowed to retain our government and continue with our political structure. I need to know where I stand,” Kwankwaso said.
The meeting was attended by several high-ranking officials within the Kano State government and the NNPP, including the state Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo; the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Yusuf Kofar Mata; and the state NNPP chairman, Hon. Hashim Sulaiman Dungurawa. Other top party officials were also present, publicly expressing their loyalty to Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
Observers of Kano politics have interpreted the show of support by key government officials as indicative of a widening divide within the party and a reinforcement of Kwankwaso’s continuing influence over the state’s political machinery. The presence of senior government figures at the meeting signals that any defection attempt by Governor Yusuf could face internal resistance from loyalists aligned with the former governor.
Kwankwaso’s political trajectory has been marked by strategic party switches and the cultivation of a formidable grassroots support base through the Kwankwasiyya Movement, a socio-political organisation that has shaped electoral outcomes in Kano for over a decade. The movement’s influence extends beyond electoral politics, encompassing welfare programmes, youth empowerment initiatives, and patronage networks that have cemented Kwankwaso’s status as one of northern Nigeria’s most influential politicians.
His departure from the APC in 2018 followed disagreements over party leadership and the distribution of political offices, issues that appear to echo in his current demands for clear assurances before any return. Kwankwaso’s role in the formation of the APC in 2013, which brought together the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Congress for Progressive Change, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, was instrumental in the party’s electoral success in the 2015 general elections.
Political analysts have noted that Kwankwaso’s cautious stance underscores the importance of securing party structures and protecting the interests of loyalists ahead of the 2027 general elections. Any defection that does not safeguard the political positions of NNPP lawmakers, commissioners, and local government officials could trigger mass exits and erode the movement’s organisational strength in Kano.
The NNPP currently controls the Kano State government and holds a significant number of seats in the State House of Assembly, positions that would be at risk if a defection were poorly negotiated. The party’s national fortunes, however, remain modest, with limited presence outside Kano and a few other northern states, raising questions about its long-term viability as a platform for national political ambition.
