Fresh facts have emerged on why the planned defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was postponed, despite earlier arrangements for the move.
According to Daily Nigerian, Yusuf had last Friday concluded plans to announce his defection to the APC on Monday.
Before ...ponement, the APC national headquarters had reportedly made arrangements for the governor to be the first person to be registered in Kano State under the party’s new online registration drive.
According to the plan, former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, was to escort Yusuf to his Diso Ward to complete his registration on the party’s portal and collect a membership card.
Afterward, Yusuf was expected to accompany Ganduje to his hometown in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area to renew Ganduje’s membership on the new portal.
However, insiders said the arrangement was shelved when the governor was advised to first meet with key APC leaders in Kano to seek their blessings before formally announcing his defection.
Top among those he was expected to meet are Ganduje and Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.
“If the governor decamps without meeting Ganduje, Senator Barau and other APC leaders, it will appear as if he is looking down on them. And it will not augur well for him,” a source familiar with the development said.
While Platinum Post reported that the governor would defect on January 12, other sources said the date remains tentative.
According to them, the defection could take place “any day after meeting with Kano APC leaders.”
Other sources disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that the defection be put on hold to allow last-minute efforts to woo Yusuf’s political godfather, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Sources said Kwankwaso’s alleged plan to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) altered the APC’s political calculations.
“The Presidency has intelligence that Kwankwaso met with Olusegun Obasanjo and Peter Obi, and there is a likelihood that the duo is teaming up to confront Tinubu in 2027.
“An Obi/Kwankwaso ticket is a powerful combination that can change the APC’s political equation,” the source said.
According to the source, the APC is also wary that Yusuf’s political strength may weaken without Kwankwaso’s backing.
“And without Kwankwaso, the governor’s political wings are clipped. So Tinubu is still having a second thought on Governor Yusuf’s defection.
“As a matter of fact, it is the governor that is wooing APC, not the other way round. That is why there are no concrete conditions yet on who gets what after the defection,” the source added.
Another set of sources said the governor personally requested an extension to enable him persuade more members of the Kano State House of Assembly and National Assembly to defect alongside him.
However, unconfirmed reports indicated that the backlash Yusuf is facing within Kano State may have left him undecided.
According to these sources, the governor is now considering shelving the defection plan altogether and reconciling with Kwankwaso.