As Nigeria’s political landscape intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections, a bitter dispute has erupted between key political actors over the defection of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) — a move that has elicited sharp commentary from opposition leader Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and seasoned politician Rauf Aregbesola.
In a strongly worded interview with BBC Hausa, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate and leader of the Kwankwasiyya political movement, declared that Governor Yusuf’s decision to defect will cost him politically, asserting that “the moment former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje raised his hand,” Yusuf had lost his chance of re-election in 2027.
Kwankwaso labelled the move a “betrayal” both of the NNPP and the political structure that helped elevate Yusuf to the governorship in 2023. He said the public gesture of support by Ganduje — long a rival figure within Kano’s political circles — symbolised a political shift that could alienate the electorate that originally backed Yusuf under the NNPP banner.
“We never expected this kind of betrayal… he will regret this decision,” Kwankwaso said, adding that many supporters were bewildered by the defection, with some believing it resulted from back-room political arrangements rather than grassroots motivation.
The fallout has not been confined to rhetorical exchanges. Buba Galadima, NNPP’s Board of Trustees Secretary, claimed Yusuf had effectively abandoned Kwankwaso and the party months before the official defection, arguing that his move to the APC was driven by fear of losing in 2027 rather than genuine ideological reasons. Galadima described this as a betrayal of the “mandate of the people of Kano.”
Galadima, who was close to the governor’s 2023 campaign, also suggested that Yusuf’s critics see the defection as damaging to his credibility in Kano, where grassroots networks and party loyalty have historically mattered significantly in electoral outcomes.
Yusuf is the first governor in 2026 to join the APC after a wave of defections in 2025 that included several governors elected under the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), such as Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Peter Mbah (Enugu), and Douye Diri (Bayelsa).
However, not all political figures believe such moves will translate into votes. Rauf Aregbesola, former Governor of Osun State and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), challenged the notion that governors’ defections guarantee electoral success for the APC in 2027. Aregbesola spoke at a political event in Abuja, arguing that elections are won by the people, not by the number of governors on a party’s ticket.
Drawing on the 2023 presidential and state results, Aregbesola noted that in key regions, including the South-West and Lagos, APC dominance at the state level did not automatically produce decisive victories, with opposition parties securing substantial support in many areas. He stressed that the electorate’s choices, and not political defections, should determine the outcome of elections.
Aregbesola’s comments also come amid opposition efforts to present a united front against the ruling party. While the ADC has faced criticism over organisational structure, its leadership — including Aregbesola — has been vocal in promoting democratic norms and denouncing overreliance on incumbency or political heavyweights.
In addition, longstanding opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have repeatedly called for free, fair, and credible elections in 2027, emphasising that political legitimacy must stem from the will of voters rather than the strategic reshuffling of political elites.
The dispute underscores the growing cleavages within Nigerian party politics ahead of the 2027 general elections. For Kwankwaso and his supporters, the defection by Yusuf — once a protege and beneficiary of the NNPP’s political machinery in Kano — represents a blow to party unity and credibility. For the APC, the acquisition of a sitting governor ahead of a key election is politically advantageous, but not necessarily decisive, according to critics like Aregbesola.
As the political temperature rises, observers note that the ultimate test for all parties will be the electorate’s response at the polls — and whether party structures or individual personalities wield the greatest influence on voting behaviour.
