Photo: Kwankwaso, with LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi
By Sadeeq Kamsela, Abuja
Nigeria’s political landscape was jolted on Sunday by reports that Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, former governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and key figures in the influential Kwankwasiyya movement may defect from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The claim followed a meeting in Kano and was attributed to Abdullahi Rogo, director-general of the Protocol Directorate at the Kano State Government House.
Rogo was quoted in a post on X by an APC supporter, Imran Muhammad, as saying that party leaders had agreed that Kwankwaso and Governor Yusuf should join the APC after consultations with the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly and other movement leaders.
Neither the APC nor the NNPP has officially confirmed the reported talks. However, political analysts say a defection by Kwankwaso, a former presidential candidate who polled more than one million votes in the 2023 election, would significantly reshape calculations ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 polls.
His strong showing in Kano and parts of the northwest was widely seen as having weakened opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar in the last election.
Reaction on social media was swift. One commentator, Jasper, wrote that Kwankwaso’s entry into the APC would virtually guarantee President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, while political analyst Babatunde Balo described the development as a “major event” in what he called the 2027 political transfer season.
The reports come amid a broader wave of defections from opposition parties to the APC, raising concerns among critics about the risk of Nigeria drifting toward a one-party state or internal tensions building within the ruling party itself. Some opposition figures have warned that unchecked defections could weaken democratic competition.
Addressing those concerns, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule said Nigeria was not sliding into one-party dominance, noting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) once controlled more than two-thirds of the country’s governorships without ending multiparty politics.
Sule spoke after recent defections by several governors, including Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau and Taraba’s Kefas Agbu.
As of Sunday night, Kwankwaso and Governor Yusuf had not publicly commented on the reports, leaving uncertainty over whether the alleged talks will translate into formal political realignment.
