The Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Board of Trustees, Buba Galadima, has claimed that Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, abandoned his political mentor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, months before he officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Galadima said Yusuf’s decision to align with the APC and former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, amounted to a historic betrayal of the political movement that brought him to power. According to him, the governor severed ties with Kwankwaso barely three months after assuming office, despite maintaining a public show of loyalty.
“Three months into his tenure, he abandoned Kwankwaso but publicly, he still treated him like a king. What happens behind closed doors is different,” Galadima said.
He dismissed claims that Yusuf’s defection was motivated by the interest of Kano residents, insisting it was driven purely by personal survival. “His own personal interest—personal, personal, personal. Not Kano people. Not peace in Kano,” he stated.
Galadima argued that the move would have been viewed differently if Yusuf had joined another political party. He maintained that joining the APC was solely about securing his political future amid fears of electoral manipulation.
Describing the defection as emotionally painful, Galadima recounted the sacrifices made by NNPP leaders to ensure Yusuf’s victory. He said both he and Kwankwaso worked tirelessly, often without sleep, to secure the mandate.
He also credited former President Muhammadu Buhari and the judiciary for Yusuf’s eventual emergence as governor after prolonged legal battles, noting that justice ultimately prevailed.
Galadima accused Yusuf of abandoning the principles that sustained him politically and claimed fear of losing future elections pushed him into the APC. He rejected suggestions that the governor had freed himself from Kwankwaso’s influence, insisting Yusuf was merely a beneficiary of the NNPP.
Despite losing its only governor, Galadima said the party remained strong, adding that NNPP now enjoys widespread sympathy among the people of Kano.
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