Uncertainty pervades the air as there are reports that Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State, the only governor flying the kite of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the current political dispensation may have perfected the plans to join the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The planned defection may not come as a surprise to many as the APC has harvested and received governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who have joined the ruling party in the last few months. However, political watchers have queried the timing of the defection at a time Nigeria is drifting to a one-party state and needs vibrant and virile opposition to challenge the policies of the ruling party headed by President Bola Tinubu.
As at the last count, APC is now in 26 states with total dominance of the South South which hitherto was controlled by the PDP at the start of the Fourth Republic in 1999. The fate of Governors Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, Agbo Kefas of Taraba State and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State are still hanging in the balance as there are unconfirmed reports that they also plan to dump the PDP very soon.
The chairman of NNPP in Kano State, Hashim Suleiman Dungurawa, had kicked against the planned defection of Governor Yusuf saying the party at the national and state levels including the national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who was also the founder of the Kwankwasiyya Movement were not in support the move.
Dunguruwa in a press statement said, “We are aware of the developments happening here in Kano State concerning some individuals who intend to defect to the APC. I want to make it clear that the Kano State party, the national party, and our national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, together with other leaders, do not approve of what is happening.”
However, findings made by Nigerian Tribune revealed that Governor Yusuf is keeping his cards close to his chest, making wide consultations and waiting patiently for the coast to clear in addition to considering all necessary political calculations ahead of the pending move.
In an interview with Nigerian Tribune early this month, the national chairman of the NNPP, Dr Ajuji Ahmed, had said the party is not contemplating joining the APC saying such move would rather lead to the failure of the NNPP in Kano State adding that the success of the party depends on the people and its manifestos.
Ajuji said, “On Kano, whether we are going to lose Kano or not depends on the electorate, the people of Kano. It does not depend on the APC. Our success will definitely depend on the NNPP and its manifesto. So I don’t believe that because we want to be successful, we have to join the APC. We believe that joining the APC will guarantee our failure in Kano. Yes, it will guarantee our failure in Kano and that is what is unacceptable to us. What is acceptable is to expand our party and its influence across the country to make it such a viable vehicle for it to capture the presidency in 2027.”
Speaking with Nigerian Tribune on the defection rumours on Tuesday in Abuja through a phone interview, the national publicity secretary of the NNPP, Barrister Ladipo Johnson, while not ruling out the planned defection by Governor Yusuf said everything is still in the realm of speculations in the social media.
He however said whatever eventually happens, the party will continue to wax stronger as the race for 2027 gathers momentum.
He said, “Well, we haven’t heard, I haven’t heard anything personally from the Governor (Yusuf) or from his aides. We’ve all read and heard all sorts over the social media and I believe that within some time, we would know for certain what is happening. But whichever way things go, the party remains and will remain strong.
“And by the time we come to a conclusion with our partners to be, or people or party that we’re going to work with, Nigerians will see that we’re a stronger even stronger entity than we are today. So, talks have been going on and we’re walking towards… we are building bridges so that we’ll be a stronger force towards 2027.”
When asked if it means that the governor is moving to the APC, Ladipo said, “I wouldn’t conclude at the moment. We have read and we understand that the governor has not said anything to us as far as the party is concerned. He’s still with us. He was at the convention. But we’ve read all sorts over the social media but nothing has been told to us. We expect that if anything is going to happen, we would be informed because there’s no bad blood. Let’s wait to have formal notification if at all and then we take it from there.”
Should the Kano governor go ahead and defect to APC, the ruling party would have taken over the North West geopolitical zone with the exception of Zamfara State. The North West zone commands huge number of votes during elections and with Kano almost joining the APC with its large voting population, it is almost a wrap for the
