The National Working Committee (NWC) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has criticised Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf over his resignation from the party, describing the move as a “cold betrayal of a sacred trust” and dismissing his claim of an irredeemable crisis within the party as baseless.
The party’s position was contained in a statement signed on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, following Yusuf’s resignation from the NNPP on Friday. The governor is widely expected to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yusuf’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, had announced the resignation in a statement, saying the governor conveyed his decision in a letter addressed to the NNPP chairperson of Diso-Chiranchi Ward in Gwale Local Government Area, with effect from January 23, 2026. In the letter, the governor expressed gratitude to the party while formally withdrawing his membership.
Reacting, the NNPP said it received the news of Yusuf’s resignation and defection “with profound anguish and deep disappointment,” arguing that his action contradicted the trust placed in him by the people of Kano State. The party warned that the move risked returning the state “to the very forces that have long opposed its progress and the aspirations of its people.”
The NNPP rejected Yusuf’s assertion that the party was facing an irredeemable crisis, noting that it recently conducted congresses from ward to national levels, culminating in a national convention on December 20, 2025, which the governor attended and which was supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It also cited the party’s victories in two supplementary elections held in August 2025 as evidence of its stability.
Drawing historical parallels, the party recalled the defection of former Kano State governor Abubakar Rimi in the early 1980s, noting that despite mass defections at the time, the electorate later voted against him. The NNPP said the episode should serve as a lesson to politicians who choose “the path of disloyalty.”
While acknowledging that the development was painful, the party urged Kano residents and its supporters nationwide to remain calm and restrained, insisting that “history has consistently shown” that the judgment of the people ultimately prevails.
