- Ruling party receives Governor Mutfwang in Jos tomorrow
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will enlarge its coast today as it registers Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf as its member.
Also tomorrow, the ruling party will receive Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang into its fold at a defection rally in Jos, the state capital.
Yusuf, who resigned from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) last week, will pick the membership card at a brief ceremony in the Kano Government House. Kano, the state capital.
No fewer than 22 members of the House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives and 44 local government chairmen are expected to be registered along with the governor.
The governor, who automatically becomes the state APC leader, is also expected to launch the party’s e-registration.
It is a home-coming of sorts for the governor, who won the 2015 Kano Central senatorial ticket of the APC before defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along with his estranged leader, Senator Rabiu Kwakwanso.
Yusuf said in a statement by his media aide, Sunusi Bature, that prevailing realities of governance, national cohesion and development necessitated his return to the ruling party.
He described APC as a familiar and structured platform for progressive governance, stressing that his return to the party would further strengthen cooperation with the Federal Government, accelerate infrastructural development, enhance security coordination and improve service delivery across Kano State.
The governor added that the decision would consolidate political stability and unity in the state.
The defection is generating ripples across the state.
While a party chieftain, Ahmed Dankabo, described it as a defining moment in Kano politics,the deputy governor, Aminu Gwarzo, who reiterated his loyalty to Kwankwaso, insisted that he won’t defect.
Also, the Commissioner for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Yusuf Kofarmata, protested the defection by resigning his appointment.
Dankabo, a member of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, told reporters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that said the ultimate beneficiaries of the governor’s defection are the people of Kano State.
He said the mass defection underscored the confidence of the people in reform agenda of the Tinubu administration.
He said: “The decision of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to defect from the NNPP to the APC is not just a political move; it is a defining moment in the political history of Kano State.
“This single action has triggered a political tsunami across the state, with citizens from all walks of life embracing the APC. In fact, Kano State is turning 360 degrees to the APC.
“Kano State has effectively turned in a new direction politically. The momentum on the ground is overwhelming, and it is evident that the people see the APC as the vehicle for stability, development, and meaningful engagement with the centre.
“I congratulate Governor Abba Gida-Gida, his exco, legislators, and grassroots leaders for this bold and strategic move. This is a major political milestone not only for Kano State but for Nigeria’s democratic evolution under the Fourth Republic.”
Dankabo said the defection has repositioned Kano from the political periphery to the centre of national political and economic decision-making.
He added: “For too long, Kano operated outside the core of national power dynamics. This alignment with the ruling party has now restored the state to its rightful place at the centre of national discourse and development planning.”
Dankabo expressed optimism that the state stands to gain significantly from the closer collaboration with the Federal Government.
He stressed: “Even while Kano was in the opposition, the state benefitted from several federal appointments and projects under President Tinubu’s administration. Now that Kano is fully aligned with the centre under our great party, the APC, the opportunities and benefits before the state are limitless.
“This decision is about the future of Kano State. It is about accelerated development, increased federal presence, and a stronger voice at the national level. The people of Kano are the real winners.”
Kano in political turmoil, says ex-commissioner
Kofarmata, in his letter of resignation, said he quit because of the state’s “prevailing political turmoil,” adding that the current political climate threatens the independence and impartiality essential to his role in the state executive council.
He said that the credibility of his office hinged on its ability to function free from external interference.
Kofarmata said: “The integrity of the state commissioner’s role rests on the ability to act without undue influence, partisan pressure, or divided allegiance. Remaining in office under such conditions could erode public confidence in the institution.
“The growing atmosphere of tension and expectations of loyalty and allegiance could create the perception—or reality—of compromised judgement. Such a scenario is fundamentally “inconsistent with the ethical standards of a State Commissioner.
“My decision to step aside is taken in the interest of safeguarding the credibility of the office and preserving my personal commitment to ethical public service.”
‘Defecting from NNPP painful, but strategic’
Three former NNPP national officers yesterday said the defection was painful, but strategic.
Former National Chairman, Prof. Ahmed Rufai Alkali, former National Organising Secretary, Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi and former National Legal Adviser, Prof. Ben Angwe said in a joint statement that it was not beyond expectation.
According to them, the governor had refused to be trapped by an internal disorder.
In the statement titled: “We have been vindicated” the three former officers who had also left the NNPP, praised Yusuf for leaving NNPP.
It reads: “In politics, we have learnt loyalty is often praised, but foresight is rarely celebrated until it is proven right. Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf’s decision to exit the NNPP and align with the APC has triggered predictable outrage, undiluted anger and a crisis of denial among those who mistook noise for wisdom.
“Yet, strip of all emotions and pretentious, the move was neither sudden nor surprising. It was not only inevitable, but it was inevitably inevitable. As always in life, some decisions test character, others test courage, but Governor Kabir Yusuf’s move tested both.
“For those of us who were privileged to have been witnesses to the long uncertain and often chaotic situations leading to the build-up to the 2023 elections, the Implosion of the Kano faction of the NNPP was never a matter of if, but when.
“To all discerning minds and close watchers of the dynamics of politics, the warning signs were everywhere. A party built more on sentiments than realities, in personalities rather than institutions, and on personal loyalty instead of legitimate organisational discipline will hardly escape from internal crisis and conflicts. Indeed, such fragile artificial and ad-hoc arrangements do not endure. Certainly, they do not last long. They expire and they explode, often with a bang.
Yusuf betrayed me, says Kwankwaso
Kwankwaso expressed disappointment over the defection, saying that Yusuf betrayed him.
He declared January 23, the day the governor left NNPP, as “World Betrayal Day.”
Kwankwaso had previously pleaded with Yusuf to remain in the opposition party, warning that the hard-fought mandate of the people of Kano should not be handed over to political rivals.
He accused the Kano State government of forcing officials and elected local government chairmen to sign documents indicating their defection to the APC.
However, Kwankwaso’s reaction is ironic, given his own history of switching parties and asserting independence from political mentors.
In 2014, he defected from the PDP to the APC, and later, from the APC to the PDP in 2018.
