NNPP chieftains fear mass defections to APC may affect party in 2027
In what has been described as a major political shakeup in Kano State, hundreds of members of the New Nigeria People’s Party have defected to the All Progressives Congress, citing disenchantment within the leadership style of the Kwankwasiyya movement.
The defection, which saw top NNPP grassroots mobilisers abandon the party, was led by Alhaji Abdullahi Sani Kwami, popularly known as Dollar who was a former vice chairman of the Gwarzo Local Government Area.
Following this mass defections, not a few of the party’s chieftains say they fear the development will affect the party’s political fortunes in 2027.
Arewa PUNCH reports that Gwarzo, notably, is the hometown of Kano’s current Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, who is a staunch ally of the Kwankwasiyya leader, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The development was contained in a statement by the Burau’s spokesperson, Ismail Mudassir, which was made available to newsmen.
Kwami led a large contingent of party executives, women leaders, and other stakeholders to the APC during a visit to the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Similarly, a group of former student leaders, under the leadership of Comrade Mohammed Nafiu Danlami, also dumped their red caps—the symbolic headgear of the Kwankwasiyya movement—for the APC.
They cited the Kwankwasiyya leader’s “anti-masses policies” and “dictatorial leadership style” as key reasons for their defection.
Adding to the wave of defections, Abba Kafi Governor, a well-known youth mobiliser in Getso, Gwarzo LGA, led his supporters to join the APC.
He attributed their move to the people-centric interventions and projects championed by the APC leadership.
Welcoming the defectors, a prominent APC leader, Sen. Barau I Jibrin lauded their decision, saying, “Congratulations on leaving a mushroom political party for a national political party that is known globally, where your freedom is guaranteed, and you are as free as the air.”
He further described the NNPP as a party in decline, particularly in Kano Central, where he claimed it was only known in a few wards and non-existent in Kano North.
According to him, even in Kano South, key NNPP players were already moving to the APC.
For the youth leaders, he promised mentorship and support, emphasising the importance of guiding young and educated citizens toward meaningful political participation.
“They don’t belong there. They belong here, where they have free space to be what they want to be in life. They have been freed and liberated from the bondage of the mushroom political party,” he declared.
The defections mark a significant blow to the NNPP in Kano, a state where the party has enjoyed strong grassroots support.
Arewa PUNCH exclusively learnt that this mass exodus could further weaken the party’s standing ahead of future elections.
However, when contacted, Sunusi Surajo Kwankwaso, the political adviser to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, said most of the aggrieved members who defected to the APC were former aspirants for chairmanship and councillorship positions of the party.
Speaking further, he stated that the NNPP is also receiving thousands of APC members into its fold. He added that the party recently welcomed thousands of APC members from Tudun Wada and Gwarzo Local Government Areas of the state.
He disclosed that people are joining the APC in the Kano North Senatorial District because the senator representing the region is deceiving them with money.
He emphasised: “We do not offer money to those who defect to our party. Anyone joining the NNPP is doing so because of the developmental and progressive initiatives of Abba Kabir Yusuf or the ideology of Kwankwasiyya.”
Pressed further on the measures the NNPP is taking to prevent and contain the mass defections to the APC, Surajo Kwankwaso said, “Most of the people joining the APC now are simply seeking political appointments. They rushed into our party in large numbers before we won the elections in Kano. So, this is normal in politics,” he maintained.
