Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State is set to formally defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, according to sources close to the development, Daily Nigerian reports.
Yusuf, the only governor elected on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), is currently in Abuja to conclude arrangements for his defection.
Sources said the governor is expected to be received by Vice-President Kashim Shettima and the APC National Chairman, Mr Yitwalda Nentawe, in Abuja.
Preparations for the defection have also intensified in Kano, with the party’s leader in the state, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, reportedly recalled from an overseas trip, while the APC Chairman in the state, Mr Abdullahi Abbas, was asked to cut short his lesser hajj to facilitate the issuance of a membership card to the governor at his Diso Ward in Gwale Local Government Area.
The governor is also expected to meet with Ganduje later in the week to discuss strategies for strengthening the party in the state.
Sources further disclosed that President Bola Tinubu was initially hesitant to accept Yusuf’s defection without the involvement of his political mentor, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, who commands a strong following in Kano and parts of the North.
“The president initially insisted that he would not accept the governor’s defection without Kwankwaso. However, after efforts to persuade Kwankwaso proved unsuccessful, Gov. Hope Uzodinma intervened and convinced the president to accept Yusuf,” a source said.
Meanwhile, local government caucuses in the state were said to have made last-minute efforts to persuade the governor to join the APC, openly declaring support for him and urging him to lead them into the party.
Yusuf’s decision to sever ties with his longtime political benefactor, Kwankwaso, has reportedly generated reactions within the Kwankwasiyya movement, with several members expressing discontent and reaffirming their loyalty to the former governor.
