The Kano State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Kwankwaso, is set to vacate his office amid plans by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to defect from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Mustapha, the eldest son of former Kano State governor and NNPP leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has neither formally resigned nor been relieved of his duties.
However, sources within the government told Premium Times that he would step aside before or shortly after the governor’s formal exit from the party.
Although Yusuf is yet to publicly announce his defection, aides and members of the Kano State House of Assembly have confirmed that he plans to leave the NNPP, citing escalating legal and leadership disputes within the party.
Officials familiar with the development disclosed that Mustapha Kwankwaso had already cleared out his office, removing his personal belongings, shortly after his father openly opposed the governor’s planned move.
As the rift deepens, the elder Kwankwaso has intensified consultations at his Miller Road residence in Kano, hosting meetings with members of the Kwankwasiyya movement who have resolved to remain in the NNPP.
In a move to consolidate his base, Kwankwaso reportedly opened a loyalty register at his residence to document elected officials and political appointees committed to the party.
By Friday, several senior government officials had reaffirmed their allegiance to Kwankwaso, rejecting the governor’s proposed transition to the All Progressives Congress.
Among those who reportedly signed the register are the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Yusuf Kofar-Mata; the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Adamu Aliyu; the Commissioner for Internal Security, Ibrahim Umar; and the Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Hamza Kachako.
Others include the Head of Service, Abdullahi Musa; the Executive Secretary of the Kano Scholarship Board, Musa Danzaki; and the Managing Director of Kwari Textile Market, Hamisu Dogonnama.
The divide has also spread to the legislature. Senator Rufa’i Hanga (Kano Central) and House of Representatives members Mukhtar Yarima, Abdulkarim Ado and Sani Wakili have aligned with the Kwankwaso camp.
While Governor Yusuf is said to command a majority of NNPP lawmakers in both the federal and state assemblies, some state legislators, including Yusuf Aliyu and Zakariyya Ishaq, have remained loyal to Kwankwaso. The lawmaker representing Madobi Local Government Area, Kwankwaso’s hometown, was said to be undecided as of Friday.
Despite pockets of resistance, insiders said the governor has secured overwhelming backing in what they described as a “palace coup.”
All 44 local government chairpersons, their deputies, and most ward-level party executives are reportedly set to join Yusuf in the APC.
The unfolding drama marks a major shift in Kano’s political landscape. For nearly four decades, Governor Yusuf had been regarded as Kwankwaso’s ultimate loyalist.