2027: Kwankwaso Summons Kano Speaker, NNPP Lawmakers Over Governor’s Planned Defection to APC

In a bid to salvage his political structure ahead of the 2027 elections, national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, on Monday held an emergency meeting with key political stakeholders in Kano State following reports of Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf’s planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jibril Ismail Falgore, arrived at Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence around 3:00 p.m. for a closed-door meeting that lasted about four hours. Federal lawmakers elected on the NNPP platform from Fagge, Turauni, Nassarawa, Rogo and other constituencies were also in attendance.

Kwankwaso, who was said to have suspended a planned foreign trip due to the development, reportedly urged party loyalists to resist pressure to defect, as the party intensifies efforts to retain its political base in Kano.

Speaker Falgore’s visit came less than 24 hours after he allegedly led stakeholders from his Rogo constituency to endorse Governor Yusuf’s proposed move to the APC, an endorsement reportedly spearheaded by the Director-General, Protocol, Government House, Hon. Abdullahi Sani Rogo.

However, the Kano State Chairman of NNPP, Hon. Hashim Dungurawa, distanced the party from the governor’s planned defection, describing it as a betrayal of trust. He reaffirmed the party’s loyalty to Kwankwaso and urged Governor Yusuf to respect the sanctity of the party and withdraw from any political alignment with the APC.

Dungurawa also cautioned party members against signing any documents endorsing defection and appealed to members to remain steadfast in supporting the NNPP’s mission of improving governance, particularly in education, agriculture, commerce and other sectors.

In a counter-reaction, the NNPP Deputy Chairman, Kano Central, Abdullahi Zubair Imam Abiya, rejected Dungurawa’s stance, calling instead for reconciliation and urging Kwankwaso to join forces with Governor Yusuf in the APC, insisting such a move would strengthen the Kwankwasiyya Movement in Kano.

The situation has reportedly caused division among NNPP lawmakers and key political stakeholders in the state. A federal lawmaker who spoke anonymously confirmed that members of the party were still undecided, revealing that consultations were ongoing.

Meanwhile, the only NNPP senator from Kano State, Senator Rufai Sani Hanga, has vowed to remain in the NNPP alongside Kwankwaso, declaring that he would not partake in what he described as political betrayal.

Governor Yusuf’s anticipated defection continues to heighten political tension in Kano as parties and loyalists weigh their options ahead of the 2027 general elections.