Members of the Kano State House of Assembly have unanimously endorsed Governor Abba Yusuf’s proposed defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing serious legal and political risks associated with remaining in the embattled NNPP.
The lawmakers said their decision was informed by the unresolved leadership crisis and multiple court cases currently facing the NNPP, warning that the situation could threaten the mandates of elected officials in Kano State.
Speaking during a local radio programme, the Majority Leader of the House, Lawan Hussaini, said the Assembly could not ignore what he described as “clear legal dangers” confronting the party. He noted that a court judgement recognising a particular faction of the NNPP had created uncertainty over the legitimacy of party leadership and nominations.
The legislators compared the NNPP’s predicament to the 2019 Zamfara State political crisis, where internal disputes within the APC led the Supreme Court to nullify all the party’s electoral victories. In that case, the court ruled that the APC had no valid candidates due to flawed primaries and subsequently awarded victory to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Hussaini warned that unresolved factional disputes and prolonged litigation could invalidate candidates’ nominations even after winning elections, stressing that the current situation in the NNPP bears similarities to the Zamfara case.
“The Zamfara judgement is a strong warning,” he said. “Internal party disputes can override electoral victories if the courts determine that a party lacks a legally recognised leadership or valid primaries.”
He explained that the Assembly’s support for Governor Yusuf’s planned defection was driven by the need to protect the mandate freely given to him and other elected officials by the people of Kano State.
Hussaini added that consultations were ongoing with Governor Yusuf and the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, on what he described as a “strategic and timely” move to a more stable political platform, including the APC.
According to him, the lawmakers’ position is not motivated by political opportunism but by the necessity of avoiding legal pitfalls that could undermine governance and democratic stability in Kano State.
