NNPP Will Win Kano In 2027 Even If Gov Yusuf Joins APC, Says Chieftain

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) is confident of winning the Kano governorship election in 2027, even if Governor Abba Yusuf leaves the party to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

There have been reports about the governor leaving the NNPP for the APC. The governor’s recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu sparked further discussions about his planned defection.

However, a chieftain of the NNPP, Ladipo Johnson, said the party is undeterred about the planned defection, arguing that the party has established structures in the North-West state to win the next election.

“In 2019, without a sitting governor or members of the House of Assembly, etc, we believe we won Kano, but yes, INEC said it was inconclusive, and later on Ganduje won a re-election. In 2023, same position. We went up against the APC, and well, His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf knows that he won the elections,” the NNPP chieftain said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

“NNPP won the elections, won most of the seats, and we did this without having anyone in situ, any officials in situ, no councilors, nothing.

“We were able to win Kano, and by God’s special grace, in 2027, the same thing will happen whether or not he has left us or whether he’s with us. And that sounds slightly arrogant. I’m not being arrogant. I’m just saying it’s politics, and I believe that we will be able to win Kano.”

READ ALSO: Gov Yusuf Briefs Tinubu On Security, Infrastructure Priorities

On Monday, the Kano governor visited President Tinubu, leading to renewed claims that he was set to dump the NNPP for the ruling APC.

But the spokesman to the governor, Sunisu Bature, clarified that the closed-door meeting was a platform for the Kano leader to present his administration’s plans and challenges to the president.

“Governor Yusuf informed President Tinubu about the recent tragic killing of a housewife and her children, stressing the need for decisive federal support to strengthen security operations and protect innocent citizens,” Bature said in a statement on Tuesday.

Governor Yusuf won the Kano governorship election in 2023 under the NNPP, beating the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Yusuf Gawuna.

In recent months, rumours of him joining the APC have intensified, and his relationship with NNPP presidential candidate in that election, Rabiu Kwankwaso has taken a hit due to the planned defection.