The New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), says it is upset and sad over the resignation of Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the party, ahead of his official defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yusuf quit the NNPP on Friday, claiming the party is in a bad situation that could not be fixed.
He left the party alongside some members of the House of Representatives, State House of Assembly and Local Government chairmen.
This happened just a few days after the Kano State Chapter of the NNPP asked him to officially resign his membership before he joined the APC.
Yusuf made the decision after he had a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu earlier this week.
Reacting, the NNPP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, criticized the Governor for claiming there is an irredeemable crisis within the party.
The statement called his claim baseless and said it was an afterthought since the party recently held congresses to elect its leadership, starting from the ward level up to the national convention, which took place on December 20, 2025 with the Governor present at these events, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, supervised them.
The party stated that the governor will face the consequences for betraying the party.
Additionally, the party reminded the governor that it participated in and won two supplementary elections in August 2025 for the Bagwai/Shanono and Ghari/Tsanyawa constituencies.
“We are very sad and really upset to learn that His Excellency, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has resigned and left the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP),” it stated.
“We are very disappointed that Governor Abba, a man who was trusted by the people of Kano State because of his many years of loyal and committed service to the Kwankwasiyya Movement, has now decided to break that trust.
“By doing this, he could bring back the same groups that have been against the state’s progress and the hopes of its people for a long time.
“This isn’t the first time a betrayal like this has happened in Kano’s political history. In the early 1980s, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi left the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and joined the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP).
“He took with him most of the elected officials, including almost all local government chairmen and council members, 120 out of 126 members from the Kano State House of Assembly, and most of the Kano representatives in the National Assembly.
“In the 1983 gubernatorial election, the voters clearly showed their choice: Rimi was beaten badly by Mallam Aliyu Sabo Bakin Zuwo from the PRP party, and he came in second place. Even more importantly, out of the 120 state assembly members who joined Rimi in switching parties, only one was re-elected. This should serve as a clear warning to any politician thinking about breaking away from their original party.
“This situation is really upsetting and hard for everyone who believed in the Kwankwasiyya plan. We ask the 1,019,602 people who voted for his win, along with the people of Kano State and Nigeria, to stay calm, be patient, and keep their emotions in check.
“Let’s not get angry or start arguing with each other. History has always shown that people who swap loyalty for convenience and honesty for trickery seldom avoid being judged by the public.
‘The truth stays strong, and the people of Kano will eventually support leaders who stand by their principles.”
