NNPP Throws Weight Behind Abba Yusuf in Dispute With Kwankwaso

NNPP Throws Weight Behind Abba Yusuf in Dispute With Kwankwaso

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has declared its full support for Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, backing whatever political decision he may take amid his ongoing face-off with the party’s former 2023 presidential candidate, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso.

In a statement issued by the NNPP National Chairman, Dr Agbo Major, the party said Yusuf, as its only serving governor and leader, deserved the party’s total backing to enable him to deliver effective governance in Kano State.

Major acknowledged that Kwankwaso played a role in Yusuf’s emergence as governor but stressed that such support should not translate into undue interference in governance.

“Kwankwaso may have been instrumental in nominating Yusuf to power, but as governor, he must be allowed to excel without being distracted by unnecessary politics driven by personal interests,” the statement said.

Describing Kano State as strategically important to both the NNPP and the 2027 general elections, the party warned against what it called attempts by Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya Movement to undermine its political gains in the state.

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Major recalled that Kwankwaso, who was expelled from the NNPP for alleged anti-party activities, should not allow his personal relationship with the governor to interfere with governance or the governor’s freedom to choose a political platform.

The party also accused Kwankwaso of betraying the trust of the NNPP by allegedly attempting to hijack the party after the 2023 elections, following the expiration of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the party and the Kwankwasiyya Movement.

According to the NNPP chairman, multiple litigations instituted by Kwankwaso weakened the party and triggered the mass defection of NNPP members in Kano State to other political parties.

“We will not sit back and watch Kwankwaso continue to undermine the Kano governor through utterances and blackmail,” Major said, urging him to emulate the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he noted allows President Bola Tinubu to govern without undue interference.

Major further blamed Kwankwaso’s legal battles for his diminishing influence in Kano and the loss of electoral ground suffered by the NNPP, including its inability to participate in some elections.

While describing reports of Yusuf’s possible defection to the APC as “reasonable and responsible under the circumstances,” the NNPP maintained that its preference was for the governor to remain in the party.

“Our position is clear: Governor Yusuf should not leave the NNPP but rather take responsibility as leader and reposition the party for greater opportunities,” the statement added.

NNPP Throws Weight Behind Abba Yusuf in Dispute With Kwankwaso