Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State, yesterday, made fresh appointments to consolidate his footholds in Kano ahead of the 2027 polls, as his estranged mentor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, vowed that the governor will regret leaving the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
This happened on a day, the immediate past governor of Kano, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, declared his readiness to reconcile with Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso, the NNPP presidential candidate in 2023 and leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, had kicked against Yusuf’s defection, which he described as a betrayal of the highest order, saying the governor and his political associates will eventually regret their decision to leave the NNPP.
He said in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service yesterday that Governor Yusuf’s decision to leave the NNPP came as a shock to many Nigerians, adding that he personally found it difficult to come to terms with the development.
According to him, the circumstances surrounding the governor’s exit appear unreal and confusing.
“Many people have approached me, saying they believe what happened was part of some arrangement between him and me, or between me and those around him.
“Even I, on several occasions, found it hard to believe that events have unfolded the way they did,” Kwankwaso said. The former Kano State governor expressed confidence that time will reveal the consequences of the decision, insisting that Governor Yusuf and those who followed him will come to regret abandoning the NNPP.
Kwankwaso said he was deeply disappointed that the governor “handed over the mandate of the NNPP members and the people of Kano to the Gandujiyya political camp” without any strong justification.
He said further: “When I lie down, I reflect and ask myself: what really happened? Who was at fault? Was it me? Was it the party? Were party members at fault? But I have not been able to find an answer.”