Former Kano State Governor and leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has warned that politicians who abandoned the NNPP or betrayed the Kwankwasiyya movement will face the consequences in the 2027 general elections.
Naijaonpoint reports that Kwankwaso, who clocked 69 years this week, issued the warning during his birthday celebrations in Kano.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service in Kaduna, the 2023 NNPP presidential candidate declared that defections and betrayals would not go unpunished.
The NNPP leader said those who left his political camp were deceiving themselves if they thought they could return to Kano and secure victory at the polls.
“At this point in time, if anyone thinks he can cross over and still come to Kano to win an election, such a person is only deceiving himself,” Kwankwaso said.
“Our movement will continue to take action against those who betray it. Our political project will continue to punish betrayal.”
He stressed that the movement’s philosophy was not built on hatred but on loyalty and principles.
“We don’t set out to fight anyone. Whoever you see leaving us either did so voluntarily or went too far in misconduct. If you insult or disrespect us publicly, knowing fully well your past, we have no option but to act,” the former Governor said.
Kwankwaso also addressed rumours of a rift between him and the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, dismissing them as fabrications by political opponents.
He said: “There is no problem between me and Governor Abba. We gave him the opportunity to perform, and he is doing his best. It is just that some mischievous individuals are trying to create division where there is none.”
According to him, Yusuf’s emergence as governor was not accidental but the result of careful consideration dating back several years.
“We carefully examined the options and found him most qualified as far back as 2019. We gave him the chance to deliver, and we continue to support him. Those claiming that I control contracts or run the government are only being mischievous. In due time, the truth will come out,” Kwankwaso said.
‘2027 Will Be Different’
On the 2027 general elections, Kwankwaso predicted a new political reality, pointing out that young Nigerians were now more politically conscious and would not allow money politics to decide outcomes as in the past.
“Those making noise about defeating us in 2027 are living in denial. Things have changed, young people are now more politically aware. The coming election will not be like previous ones where money determined everything. The people now know better,” he said.
Kwankwaso insisted that the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya movement would remain a dominant force, particularly in the North, and reaffirmed his confidence in electoral victory.
“We are confident of victory because our movement is people-oriented and based on service. Those who betrayed the cause will see the result of their actions at the polls.”
Naijaonpoint reports that the former governor’s remarks come amid rising political realignments ahead of 2027, with Kano expected to remain one of the fiercest battlegrounds in Nigeria’s electoral politics.
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