NNPP In Crisis: Top Party Leaders Flee, Accuse Kwankwaso Of Dictatorship

NNPP In Crisis: Top Party Leaders Flee, Accuse Kwankwaso Of Dictatorship

The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) is facing growing concerns over mass defections, with key chieftains blaming the leadership style of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s Kwankwasiyya movement for the wave of exits……READ MORE 

In a major political shift in Kano State, hundreds of NNPP members, including top grassroots mobilizers, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership.

The defection, led by Alhaji Abdullahi Sani Kwami (popularly known as Dollar), a former vice chairman of Gwarzo Local Government Area, has triggered worries about the NNPP’s political strength ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to Ireporteronline, Gwarzo is the hometown of Kano’s Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, a close ally of Kwankwaso. The wave of defections has further deepened the cracks within the party, raising fears of an exodus of more members in the coming months.

Adding to the concerns, a faction of former student leaders, led by Comrade Mohammed Nafiu Danlami, also abandoned the Kwankwasiyya movement, accusing it of implementing “anti-masses policies” and exhibiting a “dictatorial leadership style.”

Similarly, youth mobilizer Abba Kafi Governor led his supporters from Getso, Gwarzo LGA, to join the APC, citing the party’s people-centered initiatives.

Welcoming the defectors, prominent APC leader Senator Barau Jibrin commended them for leaving what he described as a declining party.

“Congratulations on leaving a mushroom political party for a national political party that is known globally, where your freedom is guaranteed, and you are as free as the air,” Jibrin said.

He further claimed that the NNPP is losing ground in Kano Central and has almost no presence in Kano North and South, as many key figures are now aligning with the APC.

For the youth leaders who defected, he pledged mentorship and support, urging them to actively participate in politics under the APC’s platform.

“They don’t belong there. They belong here, where they have the free space to become what they want in life. They have been freed and liberated from the bondage of a mushroom political party,” he added.

Despite the growing number of defections, the NNPP leadership remains unfazed. Sunusi Surajo Kwankwaso, political adviser to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, dismissed the concerns, stating that most of those leaving were former aspirants for political positions.

He further claimed that the NNPP is also gaining new members from the APC, particularly in Tudun Wada and Gwarzo Local Government Areas.

According to him, the defections in Kano North are driven by financial incentives allegedly offered by a senator representing the region.

“We do not offer money to those who defect to our party. Anyone joining the NNPP is doing so because of the developmental and progressive initiatives of Abba Kabir Yusuf or the ideology of Kwankwasiyya,” he emphasized.

When asked about the NNPP’s strategy to curb further defections, Surajo Kwankwaso responded, “Most of the people joining the APC now are simply seeking political appointments. They rushed into our party in large numbers before we won the elections in Kano. So, this is normal in politics.”

The defections, however, pose a significant challenge for the NNPP in Kano, where the party once enjoyed strong grassroots support.