Kano Governor’s Secret Meeting with Tinubu Reignites Defection Concerns

Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf has held a closed-door meeting with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, a development that has reignited concerns over a possible defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor arrived at the president’s office at about 16:13 local time on Monday and spent more than three hours inside. He left without making any public statement and declined to comment when questioned by State House correspondents about the purpose of the visit.

Neither the presidency nor the Kano State government has issued an official explanation for the meeting.

The visit comes amid heightened political tension in Kano State following reports that Governor Yusuf may be considering a move to the APC — a prospect strongly opposed by the NNPP leadership and its national leader, former Kano governor Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.

In December, the NNPP said it was fully aware of the political developments in Kano and did not support any defection to the ruling party.

“We are aware of the developments happening here in Kano State concerning some individuals who intend to defect to the APC,” the NNPP’s Kano State chairman, Hashim Suleiman Dungurawa, said in a statement.

“I want to make it clear that the Kano State party, the national party, and our national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, together with other leaders, do not approve of what is happening.”

Dungurawa said the party had made repeated efforts to persuade those involved to remain within the NNPP in the interest of Kano residents.

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“We did everything within our power to persuade them to be patient and not defect to the APC, because of our responsibility to them and our responsibility to the people of Kano,” he said.

Prosper Okoye

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Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa

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