By: Abdullahi Inuwa
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has come down hard on the resignation and defection of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, describing the move as a “betrayal of a sacred mandate” freely given by the people of Kano.
In a sharply worded statement issued on Friday, NNPP National Publicity Secretary Ladipo Johnson said the governor’s decision struck at the heart of the trust that carried him to power, insisting that Yusuf’s electoral victory was inseparable from the NNPP platform and his long-standing association with the Kwankwasiyya political movement.
According to the party, the governor’s attempt to justify his exit by citing an “irreconcilable crisis” within NNPP is not only misleading but contrived after the fact.
“The claim of an irredeemable crisis in the party is baseless and clearly an afterthought,” the statement said, rejecting suggestions that internal instability forced Yusuf out.
NNPP maintained that Yusuf was elected not merely as an individual candidate, but as the embodiment of a collective political struggle that resonated deeply with Kano voters—one rooted in loyalty, grassroots mobilisation and a clear ideological identity. To abandon that platform midstream, the party argued, amounts to a violation of the moral contract between the governor and the electorate.
“It is with profound anguish and deep disappointment that we received the news of the resignation and defection of His Excellency, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the New Nigeria Peoples Party,” Johnson stated, adding that the move undermines the sacrifices made by party members and supporters who stood by Yusuf through political storms.
The party also warned against rewriting history to sanitise political ambition, stressing that NNPP remains intact, focused and undistracted by defections driven by personal calculations rather than collective ideals.
Political observers say the statement signals NNPP’s determination to frame the narrative early—casting Yusuf’s exit as an ethical failure rather than a structural collapse of the party. In a state as politically conscious as Kano, such framing could resonate strongly among core supporters who view party loyalty as a badge of honour.
As the dust settles, NNPP’s message is unmistakable: the party rejects any suggestion of internal disintegration and insists that the real crisis lies not within its ranks, but in the abandonment of a mandate it says was never personal—but profoundly public.
