After months of speculation, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf is set to formalise his alignment with the All Progressives Congress (APC) following his resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), under whose banner he was elected. However, Dr Umar Ardo, co-convener of the League of National Democrats (LeND), questioned the prudence of Yusuf’s move, arguing that it contradicts Kano’s political traditions and could jeopardise the governor’s chances of re-election.
Following the defection, Deputy House Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki criticised Kwankwasiyya Movement leader Rabiu Kwankwaso over his declaration of January 23, 2026, as “World Betrayer Day.” Similarly, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said Kwankwaso “appears to have boxed himself into one of the tightest corners in his political career” by refusing to join the APC.Governor Yusuf is scheduled to launch the APC broom symbol today and formally register with the party at his Gwale Ward, his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, confirmed. Yusuf first joined the APC in 2014 while serving as Commissioner for Works during Kwankwaso’s second term as governor and had won the party’s primary for the Kano Central Senatorial seat, a ticket he later ceded to Kwankwaso.
Tofa described Yusuf’s return as a homecoming, highlighting his deep familiarity with APC’s structure and platform. “On Monday, January 26, 2026, the governor will officially register as an APC member in Kano, alongside 22 members of the House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives, and the 44 local council chairmen. He will also launch the APC e-registration exercise in the state,” Tofa added.
Ardo, however, argued that Kano has historically leaned toward opposition parties rather than the ruling party at the centre, predicting that the 2027 election could see the APC lose in the state even if it wins nationally. “By moving from the opposition NNPP to the APC, Governor Yusuf and the party are courting defeat in 2027. Either the APC wins the national election and loses Kano, or it wins Kano and loses nationally. The state’s electoral pattern over the years does not allow both,” he said.
Madaki, an estranged ally of Kwankwaso who left NNPP in November 2024, labelled Kwankwaso the “real betrayer.” In a Facebook post, he criticised the Kwankwasiyya leader’s actions during the 2019 primaries, accusing him of abandoning nominated candidates and betraying Atiku Abubakar over the primary election outcome in Port Harcourt. Keyamo added that Kwankwaso, who aspires to the presidency, may not secure a major party ticket in 2027, suggesting that the ADC ticket is Atiku’s to lose, while other leading parties may nominate candidates from the South. The minister also cited three additional reasons to challenge Kwankwaso’s political credibility.
Source: https://guardian.ng/
