The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has described the resignation and defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, as a betrayal, expressing shock and disappointment over his decision to leave the party.
In a statement on Friday by its national publicity secretary, Ladipo Johnson, the party said it received the news of Yusuf’s exit with “profound anguish and deep disappointment,” accusing the governor of abandoning the trust placed in him by the people of Kano State.
The NNPP said Yusuf, who rose to power under the banner of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, had “chosen to betray that sacred trust,” warning that his decision could expose the state to political forces that had previously worked against its development.
“It is with profound anguish and deep disappointment that we received the news of the resignation and defection of His Excellency, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP),” the statement read.
“We deeply regret that Governor Abba, a man entrusted by the people of Kano State on the strength of his decades of unwavering loyalty and dedicated service to the Kwankwasiyya Movement, has now chosen to betray that sacred trust.”
The party rejected Yusuf’s claim that his resignation was prompted by internal crises, insisting that the NNPP remained stable and functional.
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According to the statement, the party had successfully conducted leadership congresses from ward level to the national convention on December 20, 2025, under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with Yusuf in attendance.
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It added that the NNPP had also won two supplementary elections in Bagwai/Shanono and Ghari/Tsanyawa constituencies in August 2025, describing the governor’s assertion of an irredeemable crisis as “baseless and an afterthought.”
“It is noteworthy that our party, the NNPP, had recently conducted congresses for its leadership from the ward to the national convention… and INEC had supervised,” the statement said.
“The party had also participated and won in two supplementary elections… The assertion he made of an irredeemable crisis in the party is therefore baseless and an afterthought.”
The NNPP further drew historical parallels with the defection of former Kano governor, Abubakar Rimi, in the early 1980s, noting that similar political moves in the past ended in electoral defeat.
“This is not the first time such a betrayal has occurred in the political history of Kano,” the party stated, recalling that Rimi’s defection was followed by a loss at the polls in 1983, despite being joined by most elected officials at the time.
The party urged Yusuf’s supporters and the people of Kano to remain calm and avoid political tension.
“While this development is deeply disturbing and painful… we urge the 1,019,602 people that cast their votes for his election, as well as the good people of Kano State and Nigeria to remain calm, patient, and restrained,” the statement said.
“History has consistently shown that those who trade loyalty for expediency, and honour for deceit, rarely escape the judgment of the people.”
