Politics
Kwankwaso, NNPP Feel Betrayed By Gov Yusuf’s Defection — Party Spokesperson
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The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has described the defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as an act of betrayal of the party and its leader, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.
NNPP National Spokesperson, Ladipo Johnson, stated this on Monday while speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Asked whether Kwankwaso felt personally betrayed by the governor’s decision, Johnson said the feeling went beyond the party leader to the people of Kano State.
“Naturally, he [Kwankwaso] feels betrayed. But it is not just about him. The people [Kano] endured eight years of what they described as bad governance and came out in their numbers to give a mandate to the NNPP through the leadership of Kwankwaso.”
He noted that the party had no existing political structure in the state before the election but still secured victory.
“They voted the NNPP from scratch. We had no councillor, no chairman, yet we won the state. They stood by Abba Kabir Yusuf from the tribunal to the Court of Appeal and up to the Supreme Court,” the spokesman said.
Johnson argued that defecting to the APC without consulting the electorate amounted to a betrayal of public trust.
“Without consulting the people, you hand power back to those who were voted out after eight years. That is an act of betrayal, no matter how you try to sugar-coat it,” he said.
Reacting to claims that Yusuf could have become governor without Kwankwaso’s support, Johnson dismissed the narrative.
“It is easy to say that now. They are enjoying their five minutes. I am sure His Excellency, Abba Kabir Yusuf, would not stand up anywhere in the world to say that,” he said.
Also speaking on the programme, NNPP Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Karaye, said the party was deeply hurt by the development but remained politically strong in Kano.
“We are really devastated. We feel betrayed and we are not happy with this development. But NNPP is still strong and remains the party to beat in Kano,” Karaye said.
He alleged that key party stakeholders were aware of the governor’s plans to leave but were sidelined and dismissed claims that Yusuf left due to internal crises within the NNPP.
He further alleged that party leaders had limited access to the governor and were unable to offer advice.
“The governor closed his doors. There was no access to him,” he said.
Governor Yusuf officially defected to the APC on Monday alongside 22 members of the Kano State House of Assembly and nine members of the House of Representatives.
The announcement was made at a political event held at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano.
Addressing party leaders, lawmakers and supporters, Yusuf said the decision followed extensive consultations across the state.
The governor explained that the move was aimed at strengthening governance and accelerating development.
“We are choosing partnership rather than polarisation. Political parties are vehicles; the destination is to bring positive change to the people of Kano. Judge this decision by the work we do for the people,” Yusuf said.
Prominent APC leaders at the event included former party National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje; Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin; and Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Kabiru Bichi.
Yusuf’s emergence as Kano State governor was closely linked to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya movement until their split in January 2026.
Governor Yusuf’s rise to the Kano governorship was closely tied to Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya movement until their split.
Yusuf was widely seen as Kwankwaso’s political protégé and rose through the movement’s strong grassroots structure and popular support.
Kwankwaso’s backing was widely credited for Yusuf’s victory in the 2023 governorship election on the NNPP platform, where he polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat the APC candidate.
However, Yusuf’s time in office brought growing pressure for him to assert independence as a constitutionally elected governor.
While he remained loyal to Kwankwaso during prolonged court battles over his mandate, tensions over political control and autonomy eventually strained their relationship.
In a rare political development that has sent shockwaves through Sokoto State, the Chairman of Tangaza Local Government Area, Isa Kalanjeni, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and simultaneously stepped down from his elected position as council chairman.
The twin resignations were contained in two separate letters made available to journalists in Sokoto on Tuesday.
In a letter dated May 5, 2026, addressed to the APC Ward Chairman of Kalanjeni Ward in Tangaza Local Government, Kalanjeni announced his immediate departure from the ruling party.
I wish to formally inform you of my decision to resign from the APC with immediate effect. This decision is borne out of purely personal reasons. I appreciate the opportunity given to me to be part of the party.”
Resignation from Office
In a separate letter dated July 7, 2026, addressed to the Secretary to the Sokoto State Government and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Kalanjeni formally resigned as Executive Chairman of Tangaza Local Government Area with immediate effect.
Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am resigning from my position as Executive Chairman of Tangaza Local Government Area, effective immediately from today.”
Reasons Cited
The embattled chairman explained that the “difficult decision” followed extensive consultations with family, political associates, and community stakeholders.
He also cited administrative constraints, stating:
“Due to recent unavoidable administrative challenges, I find that I am no longer able to execute the responsibilities of this office to the high standard expected of me.”
Despite the abrupt exit, Kalanjeni expressed appreciation to the people of the council:
“I am incredibly grateful to the electorate, the council’s legislative arm, and the entire staff for the privilege and opportunity to serve our people. I wish the incoming leadership and administration continued success.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is on course to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) July 11 deadline for the submission of its presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.
A senior member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the upload of candidates’ details was at an advanced stage, with the details of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate expected to be uploaded by the middle of the week.
“We are progressing smoothly with the uploading of the details of our National Assembly candidates,” the source said.
“We hope that on or before next Wednesday, we shall upload the details of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate. We are completely sure of meeting the July 11 deadline for uploading all our candidates on the INEC portal.”
Checks at the APC’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department at the Muhammadu Buhari House headquarters in Abuja on Sunday indicated that the party’s technical team has continued to interface with the INEC portal without disruption.
Sources in the department said the details of most principal officers of the 10th National Assembly and several serving lawmakers had already been uploaded.
They added that the details of four serving governors — AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State — had also been uploaded to the INEC portal.
The race to meet the deadline followed a review of the party’s primary elections. The APC recently submitted a revised list of candidates to INEC after the NWC removed six senatorial and 19 House of Representatives candidates who had earlier emerged from the party’s May primaries.
The changes affected constituencies in Abia, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Ebonyi, Ondo, Kaduna, Niger and Kwara states and followed the recommendations of the party’s Primary Election Appeal Committee.
The revised list was forwarded to INEC in a letter jointly signed by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the party received more than 700 petitions from aggrieved members after the conclusion of its primaries.
“The party received over 700 petitions from aggrieved members following the conclusion of our shadow elections,” Morka said.
He declined to state when the final list of candidates would be released publicly, saying the party’s immediate focus was to ensure compliance with INEC’s nomination requirements.
“Our absolute immediate priority right now is ensuring that our designated candidates properly complete and return their Form EC9 nomination documents for upload ahead of the strict INEC deadline, rather than focusing on the public release of the list,” he said.
Despite the changes made by the appeal committee, the final list submitted to INEC retained many of the party’s leading figures, including four serving governors who secured the party’s tickets to contest Senate seats in the 2027 general elections.
Lawmaker representing the Nasarawa South Senatorial District, Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo, has officially resigned from the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
His resignation was contained in a letter dated July 2, 2026, and addressed to the ADC Ward Chairman in Galadimawa Ward, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The lawmaker attributed his decision to the party’s lingering internal crisis and protracted legal disputes at the national level.
In the letter sighted on Sunday by our correspondent, Onawo said his resignation takes effect from June 15, 2026.
The lawmaker said the persistent internal wrangling and legal battles within the party made it difficult for him to pursue the developmental mandate entrusted to him by the electorate.
“It is driven by my firm belief that the prevailing circumstances within the current party structure and the endless legal battles it is currently embroiled in no longer provide the cohesion, support, and enabling environment for me to focus squarely on effectively representing my constituents and to fully realise the developmental and progressive mandate they entrusted to me,” he said.
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