Presidential Spokesperson and Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said Kano State is shaping up for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf without former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Onanuga made the assertion on his X handle as political realignments intensify in Kano ahead of the 2027 general elections. The post comes amid moves by Governor Yusuf to formally rejoin the All Progressives Congress after resigning from the New Nigeria Peoples Party last Friday.
In a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa on Sunday, it was disclosed that Governor Yusuf will formally register as a member of the APC in Kano on Monday, 26 January 2026, alongside 22 members of the State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives and the 44 Local Government Chairmen. The statement recalled that Governor Yusuf first joined the APC in 2014 when he won the party’s primary election for the Kano Central Senatorial seat, a position he later conceded to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Governor Yusuf stated that rejoining the APC would further strengthen cooperation with the Federal Government, accelerate infrastructural development, enhance security coordination and improve service delivery across Kano State. He added that the decision would also consolidate political stability and unity in the state. The statement noted that after years of political engagement across different platforms, including his most recent stint in the NNPP, prevailing realities of governance, national cohesion and development necessitated his return to the APC, which he described as a familiar and structured platform for progressive governance.
The development has deepened the rift between Governor Yusuf and Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement. Kwankwaso has warned members contemplating defections, insisting that such moves should come with compensatory measures. He argued that those who defect owe a debt to the movement for the support they have received, stating, “For someone to abandon his house and go elsewhere, it does not just happen without reason. These people, no doubt, have collected ‘goods.’” He added that “the word ‘betrayer’ follows a person; him, his family, and even his lineage.”
The Kano House of Assembly has officially endorsed Yusuf’s defection, citing unresolved leadership crises and ongoing court cases within the NNPP that could jeopardize the governor’s mandate. House Majority Leader Lawan Hussaini justified the move, arguing that remaining in the NNPP poses significant risks due to “factional disputes and multiple litigations.” He warned of a potential repeat of the Zamfara State scenario, where the Supreme Court invalidated the APC’s candidates, costing the party governorship and legislative seats.
The Director-General of the National Productivity Centre, Dr. Baffa Babba Dan’agundi, said the absence of former National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, is delaying the defection of Governor Yusuf to the party. Dan’agundi also disclosed that Ganduje had expressed displeasure over a comment attributed to Kwankwaso, which described him as an enemy. “It is a thing of joy for us. All APC leaders, stakeholders, and supporters in Kano State are happy and excited about the governor’s return, and we are fully prepared to give him maximum support and cooperation,” he said.
The Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has reaffirmed its loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, dismissing reports that it has withdrawn support for his second-term ambition. In a statement dated April 17, 2026, and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Auwalu Abdullahi Soja, the party described as false a claim allegedly made by a group identified as the Arewa APC Forum, Kano State chapter, suggesting that support for the President had been withdrawn. The party stressed that no recognised or constitutionally backed organ within its Kano structure had taken such a decision and maintained that the state chapter remains fully aligned with President Tinubu and his administration.
Political observers say the internal uncertainties that trailed the NNPP and the steady consolidation of structures within the All Progressives Congress made Yusuf’s move inevitable. “And when political space begins to close, options reduce. When options reduce, even the strongest actors are forced into reactive decisions rather than strategic ones,” one analysis noted. This, observers argue, is why Yusuf’s return to the APC is viewed as a decision taken not in reaction to pressure, but in anticipation of it.
Onanuga’s remarks on X signal the Presidency’s reading of the unfolding Kano realignment, positioning both President Tinubu and Governor Yusuf as the emerging power axis in the state without Kwankwaso.
