…Kano on lockdown as APC flag, Tinubu’s logo emerge
There was tension in Kano State on Monday following Governor Abba Yusuf’s defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), according to witnesses and government sources.
The governor, our findings revealed, is set to fly out for a strategic meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is current on an official visit to the Middle East.
Yusuf, who won the 2023 governorship election on the platform of the NNPP, had been embroiled in a leadership tussle with his estranged godfather and former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
He was scheduled the defection for January 5, but before deferring it Monday, in a move supporters said tactical.
His associates say unresolved leadership disputes and multiple court cases within the NNPP informed the defection to APC.
There was no formal announcement or public ceremony to mark the defection, but signs around the Government House suggested the new alliance, with government officials wearing caps and apparels done with President Bola Tinubu logo. The NNPP flag was removed from the main entrance of the Government House and replaced with national flags.
The NNPP flag was also taken down from the Deputy Governor’s Office, according to observations at the premises. Several senior government officials were absent from their offices, while junior officials were seen in small groups discussing the defection.
Security was tightened around the Government House, with armed personnel and armoured vehicles deployed. Officers of the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were stationed at the gates.
A senior government source said the governor avoided a public ceremony to prevent possible violence.
“We are no longer in NNPP. The most important aspects of the defection to APC have been concluded, while other processes are ongoing,” a cabinet member said.
Sources said Yusuf was expected to travel abroad with close political allies to brief President Tinubu on the defection.
The move has drawn opposition from Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former Kano governor and factional leader of the NNPP, who has publicly rejected the defection and said Yusuf should resign if he leaves the party.
The dispute has deepened political divisions in the state. However, sources said the governor defected alongside all local government chairmen in the state and all NNPP members of the Kano State House of Assembly.
