The national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has urged his supporters to start preparations for the 2027 general elections following the resignation of the state governor, Abba Yusuf, from the party.
Saturday PUNCH gathered from reliable national and state officials of the All Progressives Congress that the governor would be received into the APC on Saturday (today).
According to one of the officials, the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, has directed stakeholders loyal to the governor to liaise with the party’s Organising Secretary to make arrangements for Yusuf’s registration and that of his supporters.
“The governor’s associates have been asked to meet with the Organising Secretary to properly prepare for the registration of their members,” the official said.
The other party official said, “We’re going to receiving the governor into the APC tomorrow (Saturday).”
But the state deputy governor, Aminu AbdusSalam, may not follow the governor to the APC, it was gathered.
Yusuf resigned from the NNPP on Friday alongside 21 members of the Kano State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives, and 44 local government chairmen in the state.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Tofa, who said Yusuf formally communicated his decision in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Diso-Chiranchi Ward of the NNPP in Gwale Local Government Area.
In the letter dated January 23, 2026, Yusuf cited unresolved leadership disputes and ongoing legal battles within the party as reasons for his resignation.
“I write with a deep sense of gratitude to formally notify the leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party of my decision to resign my membership of the party, with effect from Friday, 23rd January 2026,” he said.
The governor’s defection came days after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Addressing NNPP leaders and his supporters, including the deputy governor, at his residence on Miller Road, Kano, Kwankwaso commended the party members for their loyalty, describing them as individuals “who cannot be induced with money to abandon their ideology.”
He appreciated the deputy governor, Senator Rufa’i Hanga, and other top party leaders for their consistent support of the party’s ideals.
Kwankwaso also urged members to remain steadfast in view of the evolving political situation in Kano State.
“Given the current political situation in Kano, we must get ready for 2027, mobilise our supporters, and turn out massively to deliver votes in every ward.
“Our ideology and commitment must remain strong. Every member has a role to play in ensuring the party remains influential in Kano,” Kwankwaso said.
This is as the NNPP said the Kano people will not forgive Yusuf for what it described as his decision to “freely” return the mandate given to him by voters to the APC.
The party assured that Yusuf’s defection to the APC would not alter Kano’s political structure ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that the NNPP would retain the loyalty of the masses, with or without the governor.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ladipo Johnson, said, “Abba’s leaving the NNPP wouldn’t change the Kano political structure. By God’s grace, we believe that we will win Kano, with or without the governor. Our winning Kano is based on the fact that we have the confidence of the people.
“Again, the Kwankwasiyya Movement, which won us the last election, is still with the NNPP. So we have nothing to fear. The Kwankwasiyya also has the confidence of the masses in Kano State.”
He recalled that the party had previously demonstrated electoral strength in Kano even without incumbents or elected officials, stressing that the people, not political office holders, were the backbone of its victories.
“The reason I say so is that in 2019, without a public officer or elected official in an executive or legislative position, we believed that we won Kano squarely. But we all know what happened. It was inconclusive, and somehow the magic was done to bring Ganduje back.
“In 2023, it was from the same position. We had no elected officer in government. Even Abba Yusuf can testify to that. But through God and the votes of the masses, Yusuf became governor of the state. And we won the majority of the seats, both at the federal and at the state level!” he said.
Johnson accused the governor of betraying the will of the electorate by defecting to the APC, which he said Kano voters had rejected at the polls.
