By Kingston Magare 25.1.2026
Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf is set to join the All-Progressives Congress and the Senator representing Kano Central District, Rufai Sani Hanga, said the move is suicidal.
Mr. Abba Yusuf was elected on the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), according to his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, he is expected to confirm his decision on Monday, much to the chagrin of NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwanso. Thousands of his supporters thronged to his resident in Kano on Sunday to show solidarity and loyalty to him.
Senator Sani Hanga said during an interview on Trust TV that Abba Yusuf will lose his reelection bid.
“When I heard about it, I went to advise him not to embark on this suicide mission, but unfortunately, he was not ready to listen, and I honestly don’t know what has gone wrong.
“Most of them will make a U-turn, because their minds are still with us, and they have no place where they have gone or they will be going,” said Hanga.
Senator Hanga further described the Governor’s defection as an “unimaginable betrayal,” which has costly future implications, stressing that Yusuf benefited from the mentorship of Rabiu Kwankwaso and his political coverage as the National Leader of the NNPP.
“For him to now abandon the same leader and move to a party that antagonised us and treated us callously is truly unfortunate, and NNPP would closely observe how the governor navigates his new political path, because to defect in these circumstances would ultimately prove costly,” he added.
Yusuf earlier joined the APC in 2014 after winning the party’s primary election for the Kano Central Senatorial seat.
He later stepped aside for the party’s then-leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, before moving across different political platforms in later years, including his recent time in the NNPP.
Supporters show display loyalty to Kwankwanso.