FORMER Kano State governor and leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has dismissed reports claiming that he had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
On Friday, September 26, media reports claimed that Kwankwaso had written to the APC national leadership, signaling his readiness to rejoin the ruling party. The reports suggested that discussions were ongoing between him and the party’s national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, a professor.
But in a swift reaction, Kwankwaso, in a statement on his X (formerly Twitter), described the claims as false.
“We have been alerted to some online statements suggesting that we have submitted a letter of intent to join a political party in the country.
“We would like to clarify that we have not made any such submission to any party. The public is therefore advised to rely only on information released through our official channels,” the statement read.
The clarification came amid a separate storm triggered by earlier comments credited to the NNPP leader that he might consider returning to the APC under certain conditions.
The Kano State APC, however, immediately rejected the idea. The party’s Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Aruwa, said Kwankwaso’s alleged conditions were “misleading and unacceptable.”
“He disregarded the fact that joining a party has proper channels and procedures and insisted that Kwankwaso knows how to formally convey his intention if he truly wants to return to the party.”
He also faulted Kwankwaso’s claim of being part of the APC’s founding structure in Kano, insisting that former governor Ibrahim Shekarau was the true pioneer of the party in the state.
“The conditions we are hearing, that our governorship ticket should be handed over to him or his candidate, are totally unacceptable. The APC already has strong aspirants. There is no vacancy for Kwankwaso’s conditions,” he added.
In response, Kwankwaso’s long-time ally, Buba Galadima, said the comments had been twisted. He maintained that the former governor had no immediate plan to join the APC.
Meanwhile, the rumoured defection has continued to unsettle the ruling party. On Thursday, September 25, key APC figures, including former national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, and House of Representatives member Abdulmumin Jibrin Bichi, held a closed-door meeting in Abuja.
Party insiders said the meeting touched on Kwankwaso’s alleged move and wider political strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.
Kwankwaso, a former defence minister and leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, has remained an influential figure in northern Nigeria politics. His popularity in Kano and parts of the North makes his political alignment a matter of high interest within both the APC and other political parties.
While the APC insists it does not need Kwankwaso to win elections, his denial of defection has not silenced speculation about possible negotiations that could reshape alignments before the 2027 general elections.
A reporter with the ICIR
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