Speculation over the imminent defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, from the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC intensified on Monday as he held closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Yusuf, was sighted heading into the President’s office at exactly 4:13pm, further fuelling political intrigue surrounding his long-rumoured switch of allegiance.
The high-level meeting comes against the backdrop of weeks of stalled negotiations over Yusuf’s defection, which sources say has been delayed repeatedly since early January due to unresolved demands and internal resistance within the APC.
This is the Governor’s first publicly known engagement with President Tinubu this year, widely viewed as a decisive step in efforts to finalise his movement into the ruling party.
Sources familiar with the talks revealed that the defection hit a roadblock after APC leaders reportedly rejected Yusuf’s insistence on a written guarantee of automatic ticket to contest the 2027 governorship election under the party’s platform.
Beyond the 2027 ticket, the governor is also said to be pressing for the right to nominate a minister from Kano State into the Executive Council of the Federation, as well as sweeping powers to replace federal appointees with his loyalists.
These conditions, sources say, have pitched Yusuf against influential APC figures in Kano State, notably the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, who is believed to be nursing governorship ambitions ahead of 2027.
Meanwhile, Yusuf’s recent political moves have kept the defection story firmly in the spotlight. Days before the Villa visit, videos shared on his official Facebook page showed him presiding over the first Kano State Executive Council meeting of 2026 at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, a development seen by observers as part of his intense shuttle diplomacy in the federal capital.
The planned defection has also triggered sharp reactions within the NNPP. Yusuf’s political mentor and party leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has openly condemned the move, describing it as a betrayal and warning that the governor would face political consequences in 2027 should he proceed.
Kwankwaso’s son, Mustapha alongside other cabinet members loyal to the NNPP leader, has reportedly vowed to resign immediately Governor Yusuf formally defects to the APC.
Adding to the intrigue, a Kano lawmaker and APC chieftain, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, claimed in a viral video that President Tinubu had ordered the suspension of the APC’s ongoing e-registration exercise in Kano State pending Yusuf’s formal entry into the party.
According to Doguwa, the President wants Governor Yusuf to be the first person to e-register in Kano State once the defection is completed.
Tinubu’s warm disposition towards the Kano Governor has also raised eyebrows. In a January 5 birthday message marking Yusuf’s 63rd birthday, the President showered praise on him, commending his leadership style, infrastructural drive, and focus on grassroots development.
“Governor Yusuf’s leadership experience, particularly his years as commissioner managing strategic portfolios in Kano State, may have prepared him for the kind of infrastructural changes now witnessed in the state,” Tinubu said.
He highlighted Yusuf’s urban renewal initiatives, bridge construction, and road projects, including five-kilometre roads across all local government areas, as well as improvements in education following the declaration of an emergency in the sector.
Describing Kano as “the bastion of progressive politics in the North,” President Tinubu noted that Yusuf’s administration echoes “a commitment to grassroots development and improving the welfare of the Talakawas, as championed by the late Mallam Aminu Kano.”
With Yusuf now holding talks at the very heart of power, political watchers say the long-anticipated defection may be nearing its climax, even as resistance within both the APC and NNPP continues to shape the final outcome.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
