The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has expressed confidence that it will win the 2027 Kano State governorship election, even if Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf defects to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speculation has been rife in recent weeks over the governor’s possible defection, especially following his recent meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which reignited political debates in the state.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, a chieftain of the NNPP, Ladipo Johnson, said the party was not threatened by the governor’s alleged plans, insisting that NNPP has strong grassroots structures in Kano.
“In 2019, without a sitting governor or members of the House of Assembly, we believe we won Kano, but INEC declared the election inconclusive and later Ganduje was returned,” Johnson said.
“In 2023, same position. We went up against the APC and, well, His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf knows that he won the elections.”
He added that the party’s success was achieved without incumbency.
“NNPP won the elections, won most of the seats, and we did this without having anyone in situ—no councillors, nothing. We were able to win Kano,” he said.
Johnson expressed optimism that the party would repeat the feat in the next election cycle, regardless of Yusuf’s political affiliation.
“By God’s special grace, in 2027, the same thing will happen whether or not he has left us or whether he’s with us. That sounds slightly arrogant, but I’m not being arrogant. It’s politics, and I believe we will be able to win Kano,” he stated.
On Monday, Governor Yusuf paid a visit to President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, fuelling renewed claims that he was preparing to dump the NNPP for the APC.
However, the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature, dismissed the speculation, saying the meeting was purely official.
“Governor Yusuf informed President Tinubu about the recent tragic killing of a housewife and her children, stressing the need for decisive federal support to strengthen security operations and protect innocent citizens,” Bature said in a statement on Tuesday.
Yusuf won the 2023 Kano governorship election on the platform of the NNPP, defeating the APC candidate, Yusuf Gawuna.