29-Year Kwankwaso Ally Who Swore on Qur’an Defects to APC

Kabiru Adamu Abdullahi

29-Year Kwankwaso Ally Who Swore on Qur’an Defects to APC

Kabiru Adamu Abdullahi, a long-time ally of Kwankwasiyya leader and Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice-Presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing nearly three decades of “failed promises” within the opposition party.

Abdullahi, who had previously sworn on the Qur’an to affirm his loyalty to Kwankwaso after parting ways with Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, announced his resignation from the NDC in a letter addressed to the ward party chairman of Kofar Ruwa Ward in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State. In his resignation letter, Abdullahi said his decision was prompted by what he described as “failed promises” within the NDC, adding that he would now support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid under the APC. “I have been with Kwankwaso for 29 years but have only benefited from failed promises. I will go to where I will be respected more,” Abdullahi said. He thanked the NDC for the opportunity to serve but announced his immediate exit from the party.

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The defection carries particular political weight given that Abdullahi had previously taken an oath on the Qur’an to declare his loyalty to Kwankwaso, a gesture that followed his earlier split from Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. The move signals growing discontent within the movement’s inner circle ahead of what is expected to be a highly competitive election season. Kwankwaso was ratified as the NDC’s presidential candidate on May 29, 2026, alongside Peter Obi as the party’s presidential flagbearer, having resigned from the African Democratic Congress earlier that month on May 2, 2026. Abdullahi’s departure adds to the political pressures facing the NDC as it prepares for the 2027 general elections.

The defection comes against the backdrop of deepening internal tensions within the NDC. Reports indicate that Kwankwaso has been embroiled in disputes over candidate selection in Kano State, with party officials accusing him of attempting to dominate party structures and control the nomination process. Under a power-sharing arrangement brokered when Kwankwaso joined the NDC, his Kwankwasiyya movement was allocated 60 percent of the party’s Kano structure, with the original party leadership retaining 40 percent. However, the agreement has reportedly collapsed, with allegations that all nomination forms for elective positions in Kano were taken by Kwankwaso’s loyalists, leaving long-standing party members without access. The NDC leadership in Kano subsequently replaced several Kwankwasiyya-nominated candidates, a move that was rejected by Kwankwaso, who has threatened to leave the party if the changes are allowed to stand. However, the party’s National Publicity Secretary has denied claims of a possible exit by Kwankwaso, describing them as “unfounded and politically motivated”.