Arise News Editor for Politics, Sumner Sambo, has stated that President Bola Tinubu is divided over the defection of the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) without a firm commitment from the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Naijaonpoint reports that Sambo, while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, said Tinubu’s interest is tied mainly to the influence and structure of the Kwankwasiyya movement rather than Yusuf’s personal political weight.
According to Sambo, the political developments in Kano State have placed Yusuf in a difficult position, emphasising that without Kwankwaso moving alongside the Governor to the APC, his political trajectory would face serious challenges.
Sambo further revealed that the planned electronic registration of the APC in Kano State has been stalled, stressing that the registration exercise, which was expected to commence, was delayed following a directive that Governor Yusuf be given about a week to register first.
He added that the Governor was also tasked with engaging Kwankwaso in further discussions aimed at persuading him to join the APC.
He said, “When you come to the issue of Kano, it’s an exciting development that’s happening there. And I can tell you that it’s a very difficult situation for Governor Abba Yusuf, because President Tinubu seems to be understanding what’s at play right now. And that’s why you can see that even the President is skeptical about Abba Yusuf coming to the APC, because without Kwankwaso joining that ticket in moving into the APC, Abba’s political trajectory will just be a huge challenge. It will face a huge challenge. Because the reason why Tinubu actually went for the Governor, it’s not because of the Governor himself, but because of the “Kwankwansiya movement”, led by its leader, Kwankwaso, and so that will back Governor Abba Yusuf to use the state structure to be able to deliver the APC.
“Now, President Tinubu is actually divided, having noticed this. Don’t forget, the issue of the E-registration of the APC is supposed to have commenced, but in Kano, I learned that the President said that they should still give the Governor, like about a week this week, so that he will be the first person to register, while the Governor has also been given an assignment to go and talk more to his leader, Kwankwaso, to move. But now Kwankwaso is still reluctant to move, and as a result of that, the E-registration is at a stalemate right now, and let’s hope that Governor Yusuf will be able to use this, you know, last minute, you know, to see if he can pull in Kwankwaso so that the E-registration will go ahead. But if it doesn’t, then I can tell you he will lose.”