President Bola Tinubu on Monday held a private meeting with Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, at the State House, Abuja, a development that has intensified speculation over the governor’s political future and a possible defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Yusuf arrived at the Presidential Villa shortly after 4:00 p.m., dressed in his signature white agbada and red cap, a symbol closely associated with the Kwankwasiyya Movement led by his political mentor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. He was escorted to the President’s office by the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and was seen entering the office at 4:13 p.m. local time.
The closed-door meeting lasted over three hours. Upon leaving the villa, the governor declined to speak with State House correspondents, offering no comment on the purpose of the visit. No official statement was issued by either the Presidency or the Kano State Government.
Despite the silence, the meeting has drawn widespread attention amid persistent reports of Governor Yusuf’s possible defection to the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections. Sources familiar with the developments say discussions have been ongoing for weeks, with some suggesting the governor may be seeking political assurances, including support for a second term in Kano.
Earlier reports also indicated that APC e-registration exercises in Kano State were allegedly put on hold on the directive of President Tinubu, pending the governor’s next political move. If confirmed, such a defection would mark a significant political shift in Kano State, Nigeria’s most populous state and a key electoral battleground.
Governor Yusuf won the 2023 governorship election on the NNPP platform, buoyed by strong grassroots backing from Kwankwaso. Publicly, he has continued to affirm loyalty to the NNPP, while Kwankwaso has repeatedly dismissed claims of any approved defection.
President Tinubu, who recently returned from international engagements including the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, has intensified strategic outreach to opposition figures as part of efforts to expand the APC’s political base. Monday’s meeting followed earlier reports of Yusuf’s interactions with APC-aligned political actors in Abuja.
The visit also comes amid heightened tension within the NNPP. In December 2025, the party’s leadership in Kano and at the national level publicly rejected any move by the governor or his allies to defect to the APC.
“We are aware of the developments happening here in Kano State concerning some individuals who intend to defect to the APC,” the NNPP Kano State Chairman, Hon. Hashim Suleiman Dungurawa, said at the time.
“I want to make it clear that the Kano State party, the national party, and our national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, together with other leaders, do not approve of what is happening,” he added.
Dungurawa said the party had made several efforts to persuade those involved to remain within the NNPP, stressing the party’s responsibility to the people of Kano State.
Also speaking in December, Kwankwaso issued a stern warning to party members contemplating defection, describing political betrayal as a path that has never yielded lasting success.
“I want to remind those who left us that nobody has betrayed us and succeeded,” Kwankwaso said in a viral video. “Political history is very clear on this matter. Those who think they can rise by betraying the people and the movement they came from should reflect deeply.”
He insisted that defections would not weaken the NNPP, emphasizing that the party’s strength lies in its grassroots support rather than individual office holders.
“I am not disturbed by these developments,” he said. “What matters most is the support of the masses, not the movement of a few politicians who are chasing personal interests.”
Kwankwaso also pointed to the large turnout of supporters at the gathering as evidence that the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement remain strong and firmly rooted in Kano State, despite ongoing political speculation.
