Abba Yusuf Set to Join APC as Kano Politics Witnesses Major Realignment

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, is set to formally defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, marking a major political realignment in one of Nigeria’s most politically strategic states.

Sources familiar with the development told DAILY NIGERIAN that the governor will be received in Abuja by Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Nentawe, in what is expected to be a high-profile event underscoring the party’s growing influence ahead of future electoral contests.

In preparation for the governor’s defection, key party leaders in Kano have reportedly been mobilised. Former Kano State Governor and APC national leader, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, was recalled from a private trip to Dubai, while the state APC Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, was directed to cut short his lesser hajj (Umrah) in order to complete necessary formalities. Party sources disclosed that Mr Abbas is expected to issue the APC membership card to Governor Yusuf at his Diso Ward in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State within the week.

Beyond the ceremonial aspects of the defection, Governor Yusuf is also expected to hold strategic consultations with Mr Ganduje in the coming days to chart a new course for strengthening and repositioning the APC in Kano State.

However, the governor’s move was not without initial resistance at the highest level. According to party insiders, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was initially reluctant to accept Governor Yusuf into the APC without his political godfather, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, whose influence commands a strong following in Kano and parts of northern Nigeria.

“The president initially insisted that he would not accept the governor’s defection without Kwankwaso,” a source disclosed. “After all efforts to persuade Kwankwaso failed, it was Governor Hope Uzodinma who eventually convinced the president to accept Abba Yusuf’s defection.”

Prior to the decision, local government caucuses across Kano State had reportedly made a last-ditch effort to persuade Governor Yusuf to align openly with the APC. Acting on the governor’s directive, the caucuses publicly demonstrated solidarity with him and urged him to lead them into the ruling party.

The anticipated defection has, however, triggered strong reactions within the Kwankwasiyya movement. Governor Yusuf’s abrupt fallout with his longtime mentor and benefactor, Senator Kwankwaso, has sparked backlash among loyalists of the former governor, many of whom have openly criticised Mr Yusuf and reaffirmed their allegiance to the Kwankwasiyya political ideology and its leader.

As Kano braces for the political consequences of the governor’s defection, analysts say the move could significantly reshape the balance of power in the state and alter the dynamics of northern Nigerian politics in the months ahead.