By SUNTV Global Channel
January 6, 2026 | News
Amid growing tensions within the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau has defended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, saying that defecting from the party would not constitute betrayal.
Speculation that Governor Yusuf may join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has sparked intense debate within the NNPP and the broader Kwankwasiyya movement, with party leaders warning against disloyalty.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with DCL Hausa, Shekarau argued that political realignments are personal decisions shaped by circumstances, dialogue, and consultation, not acts of treachery.
“I listened to my brother, Kwankwaso’s remarks. To me, Kwankwaso has either forgotten what happened in the past or he thought people have forgotten,” Shekarau said, referring to Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso’s suggestion that Yusuf should vacate his office before leaving the party.
The former governor recalled that Kwankwaso himself defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC while serving as governor without resigning, noting, “When he was in PDP, he also left with the governorship seat to APC. Why didn’t he drop it for PDP? The way he took PDP’s seat to APC is likely the same way Abba will take the NNPP seat to APC.”
Shekarau stressed that condemning such moves as offensive ignores historical precedents in Kano politics. He also revisited the formation of the NNPP, highlighting that disagreements over power-sharing arrangements prompted his own departure from the party.
“After Kwankwaso and I left the APC for the NNPP, meetings were held in Abuja and Kano to decide how elective positions and appointments would be shared, with a committee chaired by Abba Kabir Yusuf,” he said. “Abba spent about three months without delivering the assignment. Suddenly, a list came out and there was no single person from our side except me.”
Shekarau said Kwankwaso raised concerns about the arrangement, but when the issue remained unresolved, he and his supporters formed a 30-member committee that recommended leaving the NNPP. “I rejected the arrangement because I could not take a senatorial ticket alone while my people got nothing,” he added.
He emphasized that defection should not automatically be viewed as betrayal when leaders act in consultation with their supporters and in pursuit of collective interests.
“In life, one chooses for himself. If you have tangible reasons and the people you are with are okay with it, that is all,” Shekarau said.
Concluding his remarks, Shekarau said Governor Yusuf should be allowed to make his decision freely without being demonized. “If Abba has his own reasons and those around him agree, I don’t see any betrayal here,” he said.
SUNTV Global Channel will continue to follow developments within the NNPP and report on the political realignments shaping Kano State politics.
