Former Governor of Kano State and leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has stated that Governor Abba Yusuf and his cabinet will eventually regret their decision to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In an interview with BBC Hausa released Wednesday morning, Mr Kwankwaso stated that the move caught many by surprise, adding that he still finds the governor’s departure to the APC difficult to comprehend.
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“I am aware that many people believe the governor’s defection to the APC was a prearranged deal between us,” Mr Kwankwaso remarked. “However, I find what is happening hard to believe; it feels like a dream.”
Governor Yusuf officially resigned from the NNPP last Friday and formally joined the APC on Monday. The transition was marked by an elaborate ceremony at the Government House, attended by high-ranking APC leaders in Kano.
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The defection comes less than three years after Mr Yusuf was elected under the NNPP banner.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the governor joined the APC with his cabinet members, 22 members of the State House of Assembly, and nine members of the House of Representatives.
Governor Yusuf stated that his return to the APC is anchored on the necessity of working in a closer alliance with the federal government for more effective support for transforming the state’s critical sectors, including social welfare, infrastructure, and inclusive economic development.
But Mr Kwankwaso disagreed.
“It is disheartening to witness Governor Yusuf divert the NNPP’s mandate and that of the people of Kano toward the Gandujiyya APC (his rival, former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje) without providing a convincing justification,” he stated.
Mr Kwankwaso said whenever he reflected on these events, he found himself questioning what truly transpired and where accountability lies.
“Who is at fault? It’s my fault, is it the party’s fault or is it the members? I have yet to find a definitive answer”, Mr Kwankwaso stated in the interview.
He said the most disappointing part is the governor’s return to Mr Ganduje camp.
When asked about the governor’s chances of reelection, Mr Kwankwaso stated that Governor Yusuf was losing ground by allowing Mr Ganduje to endorse him.
READ ALSO: Kwankwaso’s son resigns as Kano commissioner
He argued that Mr Ganduje lacks political influence, noting that he failed to secure electoral victories for himself in both 2019 and 2023. He claimed that the people of Kano are not with Mr Ganduje.
Mr Ganduje was also a long-term associate of Mr Kwankwaso until they fell out after the former succeeded him as governor.
It is believed that the hostility between them is the major obstacle to Mr Kwankwaso returning to the APC.
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