2027: Ganduje returns to Nigeria ahead of Gov Yusuf’s defection to APC

By : Murtala Adewale

Date: 10 January 2026 9:09pm WAT

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Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje

Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has returned to the country ahead of the impending defection by Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to the ruling party.

Ganduje, a two-term Governor of Kano, was on a long holiday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, while the political realignment in Kano’s polity took centre stage.

While away in the UAE, the ruling APC under Ganduje’s leadership in Kano continued to celebrate the impending cross-carpeting of Governor Yusuf from the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), a move that may be the biggest shocker and could reshape the 2027 general election.

In a release signed by Mohammed Garba, former Chief of Staff to Ganduje, the former APC national chairman arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Saturday at about 4:30 p.m. aboard an Emirates Airline flight, after which he will proceed onward to Abuja at 8 pm.

“Following his return, the former APC National Chairman is expected to commence a series of consultations and stakeholders’ meetings focusing on recent political developments in Kano State.

“These engagements, according to a statement signed by his chief of staff, Malam Muhammad Garba, are aimed at reviewing the evolving political landscape and consulting widely with party leaders and critical stakeholders.

“Dr. Ganduje is also expected to go for the ongoing APC nationwide electronic membership registration (e-registration) exercise. The initiative, which he pioneered during his tenure as National Chairman, was designed to modernise the party’s membership database, enhance internal planning and ensure that APC membership records are comprehensive, credible and easily accessible”. Garba noted.

“The former governor remains committed to strengthening party structures and promoting inclusive dialogue in support of democratic consolidation within the APC, particularly in Kano State,” the statement read.

The Guardian reliably gathered from sources close to the government that “there is no going back in the defection of Governor Yusuf to APC”, despite discordant views from the Kwankwasiyya movement, which is not disposed to the governor’s decision.

The impending political migration has largely divided the ranks of Kwankwasiyya loyalists. Many already consider the governor’s decision the best for the future of the movement, even as the movement’s leader, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has openly distanced himself from the defection.

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