The National Working Committee (NWC) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has strongly criticised Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, following his resignation from the party, describing the move as a “cold betrayal of a sacred trust.”
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, the party dismissed Governor Yusuf’s claim of an irredeemable crisis within the NNPP, describing it as “baseless and an afterthought.”
Governor Yusuf had on Friday officially resigned from the NNPP and is widely expected to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The development was announced by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, who said Yusuf communicated his decision in a letter addressed to the NNPP chairperson of Diso-Chiranchi Ward in Gwale Local Government Area.
“I write with a deep sense of gratitude to formally notify the leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) of my decision to resign my membership of the party, with effect from Friday, 23rd January 2026,” Bature quoted the governor as saying.
Reacting, the NNPP said it received the news of Yusuf’s resignation “with profound anguish and deep disappointment,” noting that the governor was elected on the platform of the party and the strength of the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
“We deeply regret that Governor Abba, a man entrusted by the people of Kano State on the strength of decades of loyalty to the Kwankwasiyya vision, has chosen to betray that sacred trust,” the party said.
According to the NNPP, Yusuf’s exit risks returning Kano State “to the very forces that have long opposed its progress and the aspirations of its people.”
The party further refuted claims of internal disarray, pointing out that it recently conducted congresses at ward, state and national levels, culminating in a national convention on December 20, 2025, which Yusuf reportedly attended and was supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It also noted that the NNPP recorded electoral victories in the Bagwai/Shanono and Ghari/Tsanyawa constituencies during supplementary elections held in August 2025.
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“The assertion of an irredeemable crisis in the party is therefore baseless and an afterthought,” the statement said.
Drawing historical parallels, the NNPP recalled the defection of former Kano governor, Abubakar Rimi, from the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) to the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) in the early 1980s, noting that despite mass defections, Rimi was defeated at the polls in 1983.
“Of the 120 state assembly members who followed Rimi, only one was re-elected — a sobering lesson for politicians who choose the path of disloyalty,” the party said.
While acknowledging the pain caused by Yusuf’s decision, the NNPP urged Kano residents, particularly the over one million voters who supported the governor, to remain calm and avoid division.
“History has shown that those who trade loyalty for expediency rarely escape the judgment of the people,” the statement concluded.
