Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday, in a closed-door session fuelling intense political speculation about a potential party switch.
Sources disclose that, The agenda of the meeting was not officially disclosed, but it is widely believed to be directly linked to the governor’s rumoured defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
This planned move has dominated political discourse for several weeks but is reported to have hit a significant hurdle. Insider sources indicate that negotiations between Governor Yusuf’s camp and the APC leadership have stalled. The central point of contention is said to be the governor’s demand for an automatic ticket to contest the 2027 gubernatorial election under the APC banner, a condition the ruling party has yet to agree to.
The prolonged defection talks have triggered a palpable rift within the NNPP, straining the relationship between Governor Yusuf and his political mentor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. The growing disaffection has created factions, with supporters of the governor and those loyal to Kwankwaso now at odds, threatening the stability of the party in its key stronghold.
Political analysts posit that today’s meeting with President Tinubu could be a decisive move to break the impasse. A successful defection of the Kano governor would represent a major political coup for the APC, effectively dismantling the opposition NNPP in Nigeria’s second most populous state. Conversely, a failed negotiation could deepen the crisis within the NNPP and redefine the political landscape in the North-West ahead of the next election cycle.
As of the time of this report, neither the Presidency nor the Governor’s office has issued an official statement regarding the outcomes of the meeting.
