The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has insisted that Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State did not defect from the party for personal gain but to protect the development and prosperity of the state.
The party, led by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, said Yusuf left the Kwankwasiya Movement and NNPP because of what it described as the “slavery intentions” of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, and not out of selfish motives.
NNPP also accused Kwankwaso of betraying the trust of the party’s founder, Aniebonam, saying all efforts made by Yusuf to reconcile differences within the party were met with resistance driven by “arrogance and greed.”
Reacting to comments by Elder Buba Galadima on Yusuf’s defection, the party’s National Vice Chairman, Northwest, Alhaji Sani Danmasani, said in a statement:
“Let the relations and families of Kwankwaso and Galadima intervene before depression catches up with them. A critical analysis of Galadima’s appearance on Arise Television suggests that something may become clinically wrong. The crossover of Yusuf to APC is affecting Galadima and Kwankwaso so much that the bitterness and pain are evident in their speeches. Their pain is so much that it may result in depression if something urgent is not done. It is most likely that these great men are having sleepless nights.”
The party noted that Galadima had recounted his experience travelling from Enugu Airport to Umuawulu town in Anambra State, the hometown of NNPP founder Aniebonam, to secure a political platform for Kwankwaso and others ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“Incidentally, Yusuf, who was a prime beneficiary of the risky trip to Umuawulu, is now the one being accused of betraying the NNPP family by joining their political opponent, former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the APC,” the statement said.
According to NNPP, Galadima and Kwankwaso, who are now accusing Yusuf of betrayal, were the same individuals who benefited from the NNPP platform during the 2023 elections without cost.
“They were the same people who betrayed Aniebonam and are still fighting to hijack the party he founded in 2001. Yet, they are calling Yusuf a betrayer. One begins to wonder why Kwankwaso and Buba Galadima are crying fowl and disturbing the peace of society as if they do not know that God acts differently,” the statement added.
The party said Yusuf’s defection was an act of self-defense against what it described as modern slavery and undue interference in the governance of Kano State by Kwankwaso.
It further urged Kwankwaso and his supporters to seek forgiveness from those they betrayed instead of lamenting Yusuf’s exit.
The party concluded that Kwankwaso’s influence in Kano politics has waned and would not affect Yusuf’s plans for re-election in 2027.
