In a major political shift, 21 members of the Kano State House of Assembly have officially defected from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers announced their decision on Monday, following the resignation of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf from the NNPP.
Yusuf’s resignation, which came just days after his meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, marks a significant turn in Kano’s political landscape.
In his resignation letter addressed to the chairman of Diso-Chiranchi ward in Gwale Local Government Area (LGA), Yusuf cited the “deepening internal crises” and “prolonged leadership disputes” within the party as the primary reasons for his exit.
Yusuf’s departure from the NNPP was part of a broader political realignment that saw not only the governor but also 21 state assembly members, 8 members of the House of Representatives, and all 44 Local Government Area (LGA) chairmen in the state join the APC.
The defected members of the Kano State House of Assembly include prominent figures such as Jibril Ismail Falgore, the speaker representing Rogo, and Muhammad Bello Butu Butu, the deputy speaker representing Tofa/Rimin Gado.
Other defectors include Lawan Hussain, the majority leader representing Dala, Garba Shehu Fammar, deputy majority leader representing Kibiya, and Muddasir Ibrahim Zawachiki, the chief whip representing Kumbotso.
Additional defectors are Zakariyya Abdullahi Nuhu, majority whip representing Gabasawa, Lawal Tini representing Ajingi, and Musa Tahir Haruna representing Albasu. Also joining the APC are Ali Lawan Alhassan of Bagwai/Shanono, Ali Muhammad Tiga of Bebeji, Hafiz Gambo of Bunkure, Rabiu Shuaibu of Dawakin Kudu, Tukur Mohammed of Fagge, Murtala Muhammad Kadage of Garko, and Abdulmajid Isah Umar of Gwale.
The list of defectors is rounded out by Engr. Ahmad Ibrahim of Karaye, Alhassan Zakari of Kura/Garun Malam, Suleiman Mukhtar Ishaq of Madobi, Abdulhamid Abdul of Minjibir, Muhammad Ibrahim of Rano, Kabiru Sule Dahiru of Tarauni, and Ali Abdullahi Manager of Wudil.
The sudden defection has sparked reactions from within the NNPP. Rabiu Kwankwaso, the national leader of the NNPP, condemned the move, declaring January 23 as “World Betrayal Day.” Kwankwaso, who played a central role in Yusuf’s rise to the governorship of Kano in 2023 through his Kwankwasiyya movement, expressed his discontent with the betrayal, which has reshaped the political equation in the state.