The Kano State House of Assembly has expressed support for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s proposed defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), attributing its stance to persistent leadership disputes and multiple court cases within the party that could threaten his mandate.
Speaking to journalists Thursday , the Majority Leader of the House, Lawan Hussaini, said staying on the NNPP platform had become increasingly dangerous, not only for the governor but also for other elected officials in Kano State.
He explained that the party is currently embroiled in factional leadership struggles and ongoing litigation, which have created uncertainty over the legality of its structure and the validity of its nominations ahead of future elections.
“There is an existing court judgement that recognises a particular faction of the NNPP,” Hussaini told journalists. “We cannot continue to remain in the party and risk a repeat of the legal disaster that happened in Zamfara State.”
According to him, these concerns informed the Assembly’s decision to support calls urging Yusuf and the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to consider leaving the NNPP for what he described as a more politically stable platform, including the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Hussaini said lawmakers were already consulting with both Yusuf and Kwankwaso to reach a common position on what he termed a “strategic and timely” departure from the party.
He warned that the continued leadership crisis and factional court cases within the NNPP could lead to a judicial ruling invalidating the party’s candidates, even after electoral victories.
Such a scenario, he said, could result in the removal of Yusuf and other NNPP office holders by the courts, drawing comparisons with developments in Zamfara State.
During the 2019 general elections, the APC won almost all elective offices in Zamfara State, including the governorship and seats in the state assembly. However, disputes within the party prevented the conduct of valid primaries.
Shortly before the inauguration, the Supreme Court ruled that the APC had no valid candidates, declared the votes cast for the party wasted and ordered that candidates with the next highest votes who met constitutional requirements be declared winners.
The judgment handed the governorship to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Bello Matawalle, while the party also secured nearly all legislative seats in the state despite losing at the polls.
Meanwhile, a former governor of Kano State and leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has cautioned members who have defected or are planning to defect from the movement, insisting that they must account for the support and effort invested in them before leaving.
Kwankwaso spoke while addressing supporters amid ongoing political realignments in the state, noting that political defections are rarely without incentives.
“For someone to abandon his house and go elsewhere, it does not just happen without reason. These people, no doubt, have collected ‘goods’,” he said. “If they are done collecting, let them remember what was done for them in the past and come and pay us what is due to us for our labour before they cross the fence.”
He advised youths and supporters not to be swayed by short-term benefits or perceived political victories, observing that many who defected in the past later regretted their decisions.
Kwankwaso said some individuals often follow what they believe to be the winning side without considering long-term consequences, adding that public celebrations often conceal private remorse.
“Those who lost their way in the past, if you look back, where are they today?” he asked. “Many of those flaunting things today do not sleep well. It is painful to sit alone and say to yourself, ‘If I had known, I would not have done some of the things I did.’”
He maintained that betrayal carries lasting consequences, stressing that those who turned their backs on the Kwankwasiyya movement since its inception continue to live with regret.
He added that betrayal goes beyond politics and leaves a permanent mark on individuals and their families. “The word ‘betrayer’ follows a person; him, his family and even his lineage,” he said.
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