The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano State is facing a deepening crisis as prominent members, including key figures from the strongholds of the party’s national leader, Musa Kwankwaso, and the state governor, Abba Yusuf, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Over the weekend, party leaders from Kwankwaso’s own ward in Madobi Local Government Area (LGA), where the 2023 NNPP presidential candidate hails from, announced their defection.
READ ALSO: Kano NNPP crisis deepens as two Reps exit Kwankwasiyya
Similarly, hundreds of party stalwarts from Gwale LGA, the home base of Governor Abba Yusuf, also switched allegiance to the APC.
A notable defector, Yahaya Sa’idu Kwankwaso, a former councillor from Kwankwaso Ward in Madobi LGA, joined the APC alongside other chieftains. They were welcomed by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin, at an event held on Saturday.
Additionally, Hon. Abdulhamid Ahmad Diso, a former deputy speaker from Gwale LGA’s Diso Ward, and Hon. Shu’aibu Isa Kubaraci, accompanied by their supporters, left the NNPP for the APC. They cited the impressive developmental achievements of Senator Barau in Kano State as a key reason for their defection.
In a similar vein, Hon. Garba Alhassan Dawaki led a group of former councillors and members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from Dawakin Kudu LGA to join the APC, further intensifying the wave of defections from the ruling NNPP in Kano.
Since August, the NNPP has seen a significant exodus of members from all 44 LGAs of Kano State, with the movement dubbed the “Barau Tsunami” due to its association with Senator Barau I Jibrin’s influence.
In response to the defections, Senator Barau, through his Special Adviser Ismail Mudashir, expressed a warm welcome to the new APC members, assuring them of fair treatment. “Nobody will be discriminated against. APC is a party for all, where everyone is given equal opportunity,” he said.
Barau further remarked that the mass defections from the NNPP signal a shift in the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections. “As it is now, NNPP is unknown in Kano North. In Kano South, the APC would soon sweep away the remnants of the NNPP there. The party is only known in a few streets in Kano Central,” he stated, emphasizing the party’s readiness to work towards the development of Kano State in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda for national progress and prosperity.
