Defection In Motion: Kwankwaso Nears Deal With APC Leadership

Former New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has reportedly met with the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, as discussions to facilitate his entry into the ruling party reach advanced stages. Sources close to the matter revealed that Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, formally informed the APC national secretariat in Abuja of his intention to defect.

Insiders at the APC national secretariat said the ongoing talks between Kwankwaso and the party leadership reflect preparations for his anticipated defection. “As a party, we will abide by whatever decision the leaders feel is in the interest of the party,” one source added.

Kwankwaso’s Kwankwasiyya movement was pivotal in the NNPP’s victories in Kano State, including the presidential and governorship elections where Abba Kabir Yusuf defeated APC’s Nasir Yusuf Gawuna. A source within the Kano APC disclosed that Kwankwaso submitted a set of conditions for his return, including support for his mentee, Governor Yusuf, to contest the next governorship election on the APC platform while he assumes a prominent position in the forthcoming APC administration.

The source explained that Kwankwaso addressed the national secretariat in Abuja rather than the Kano chapter due to ongoing tensions with the state leadership. “We are aware of the letter he submitted, but it’s not something we can discuss now. Once everything is finalised, it will be made public,” the source said.

Officials close to Governor Yusuf indicated that he is prepared to comply with his mentor’s guidance. “Our governor has no objection at all. He is only waiting for the green light from his mentor,” a source said.

Meanwhile, the APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, dismissed claims of the letter as speculation but affirmed the party’s readiness to welcome any politician willing to embrace its ideology and work for its interests. “I don’t know anything concerning the submission of a letter by Kwankwaso to the secretariat,” Ibrahim stated. On reports of secret negotiations, he added, “Not to my knowledge. All these are in the realm of speculations.”