ABUJA — Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf is expected to formally defect from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) today, according to Kano APC Chairman Abdullahi Abbas. The announcement comes after months of speculation and several postponed attempts at joining the ruling party.
Sources said Yusuf’s defection was a key reason for his private meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa yesterday. The governor arrived at the Villa around 4:10 pm, dressed in a white agbada and red cap. While the meeting’s details remain undisclosed, reports suggest that Yusuf discussed his potential right to nominate a minister from Kano in the Federal Executive Council and the authority to replace Kano-based federal appointees with loyalists.
Abbas told journalists that Yusuf could register and collect his APC membership card today or tomorrow. The party delayed e-registration in Kano earlier this month to accommodate the governor’s anticipated defection. “Today is an important day for us,” Abbas said while addressing 1,500 ad-hoc staff engaged for the e-registration exercise. He stressed the process’s significance, saying, “If you don’t do the registration, you are not an eligible member. Without it, you can’t vote, and you cannot be voted for.”
The chairman also urged staff to register all interested participants, regardless of political background, and announced a rewards system for local governments and wards that mobilize the highest number of new members.
Yusuf’s planned move has heightened political tensions in Kano, especially between his supporters and loyalists of his former mentor, NNPP leader Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. The defection also reportedly pits him against powerful APC figures, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who has gubernatorial ambitions for 2027.
Abbas emphasized the party’s inclusiveness, saying APC “is a democratic party for all—those occupying positions and the masses,” and expressed optimism that the exercise would strengthen the party ahead of upcoming elections.
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