In a significant political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, is on the verge of formally defecting from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This major shift follows a decisive closed-door meeting between the governor and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, January 19, 2026.
Villa Meeting Clears Path for Defection
The high-stakes meeting, which lasted approximately three hours from around 4:10 PM to after 7:00 PM, is understood to have addressed and resolved the critical political concerns that had previously delayed Governor Yusuf's planned move. Sources familiar with the discussions revealed that President Tinubu personally intervened to provide assurances regarding the governor's political future within the APC.
The guarantees reportedly covered Yusuf's 2027 re-election bid, the protection of his political structure, and the integration of his supporters into the ruling party. One source close to the talks stated, "Everything has been resolved. He may announce it formally tomorrow or a day after. The president wants him in the APC, and the governor also wants to align with the president." Governor Yusuf, upon departing the Villa, offered a cryptic comment to journalists, saying only that he "will be back."
Deepening Rift with Kwankwaso and NNPP
The governor's imminent defection has dramatically heightened political tensions in Kano State and has severely strained his long-standing relationship with the national leader of the NNPP, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Speculation over Yusuf's move had been brewing for weeks, creating a palpable rift within the party's ranks in the state.
Kwankwaso has publicly urged caution, warning against hasty political realignments without clear and binding guarantees. "You don't leave a party without getting your people ready, and you need to be ready for the people you will meet when you get there. You don't just wake up one day and say you are leaving," he recently told supporters in Kano. While not ruling out a future move himself, Kwankwaso emphasized, "I didn't say I won't join APC, but we must be clearly assured of the future. I will not go to the APC blindly."
APC's Warm Welcome and Strategic Pause
The APC in Kano State has openly welcomed the prospect of Governor Yusuf's crossover, viewing it as a major boost for the party's fortunes in future elections. The party's state secretary, Ibrahim Zakari Sarina, confirmed that arrangements were complete to receive the governor and other defectors, pending the finalization of a date.
Further confirmation of the advanced stage of the defection plans came from Alhassan Ado Doguwa, a federal lawmaker, who disclosed that President Tinubu directed the suspension of the APC's electronic registration exercise in Kano. This pause was specifically to await Yusuf's formal entry into the party, allowing him to unveil the exercise. "We were supposed to start the registration tomorrow, but they said we should wait until he comes and he will be the one to unveil it," Doguwa explained in a viral video.
While the APC leadership in Kano is enthusiastic about welcoming Governor Yusuf, they have adopted a more measured stance regarding Kwankwaso. Secretary Sarina noted that the party would not compel the NNPP leader to join, stating, "If he decides to come, he is welcome. All that we don't want from him is crisis." This unfolding realignment sets the stage for a dramatic reconfiguration of the political landscape in the crucial North-West region as the 2027 election cycle approaches.
