Kano Governor Abba Yusuf
New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has strongly condemned the resignation of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the party, describing the move as a betrayal of the mandate freely given to him by the people of the state.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, the NNPP rejected claims by the governor that his decision to quit the party was prompted by unresolved internal crises, insisting that such assertions were baseless and afterthoughts.
Governor Yusuf formally resigned his membership of the NNPP on Friday and is widely expected to pitch his political tent with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Confirming the development, the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, said Yusuf communicated his decision in a resignation letter addressed to the NNPP chairperson of Diso-Chiranchi Ward in Gwale Local Government Area.
According to Bature, the governor wrote:
“I write with a deep sense of gratitude to formally notify the leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) of my decision to resign my membership of the party, with effect from Friday, 23rd January 2026.”
Reacting, the NNPP said it received the news with “deep pain and disappointment,” stressing that Governor Yusuf ascended to power on the strength of the Kwankwasiyya political movement and the overwhelming trust of the Kano electorate.
“We deeply regret that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who benefited from years of loyalty to the Kwankwasiyya Movement, has chosen this path, which amounts to a betrayal of the trust reposed in him by the people of Kano State,” the statement said.
The party warned that the governor’s defection could undermine the political and developmental progress recorded in Kano, arguing that his exit may pave the way for the return of political forces previously rejected by voters.
Dismissing allegations of internal instability, the NNPP pointed to its recent internal processes and electoral successes.
“Our party successfully conducted congresses from the ward level up to the national convention on 20 December 2025, an exercise supervised by INEC and attended by the governor himself,” the statement noted.
The party also referenced its victories in two supplementary legislative elections held in August 2025, adding that:
“the claim of an irredeemable crisis within the party is clearly without merit.”
Drawing historical parallels, the NNPP recalled the defection of former Kano State governor, Abubakar Rimi, in the early 1980s, which it said ultimately resulted in electoral rejection.
“History has shown that political disloyalty often attracts the verdict of the people,” the party said,
noting that most lawmakers who defected alongside Rimi failed to secure re-election.
Despite its sharp criticism, the NNPP called for calm and restraint among its supporters and the wider Kano populace.
> “We urge the over one million voters who supported Governor Yusuf’s election, as well as the people of Kano State and Nigerians at large, to remain peaceful and restrained,” the statement said.
The party expressed confidence that the people of Kano would remain committed to principled leadership and the ideals that brought about the political change witnessed in the state.
