Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, was celebrated as Nigeria’s fastest-growing political platform, buoyed by the political machinery of its national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Riding on that momentum, the party swept Kano State from the grip of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Barely months into governance, however, that momentum appears to be slipping.
The NNPP has been engulfed by internal crises that now threaten its survival in Kano and have reportedly pushed its only serving governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to the brink of defection to the APC.
The crisis began with a contentious change of the party’s logo, as the Kwankwaso-led faction replaced the basket of fruits with a book and graduation cap. The move sparked legal battles that have since thrown the party into uncertainty, deepening internal fragmentation.
Sources within the Kano State Government told Sunday Vanguard that the lingering crisis has informed Governor Yusuf’s alleged decision to consider defecting to the APC, as he weighs options ahead of a second-term bid.
The move has, however, angered the Kwankwaso faction, which views it as a betrayal of the movement and the masses that voted the NNPP into power.
As a result, the party has split into two camps: Governor Yusuf’s camp and the Kwankwaso camp.
Governor Yusuf’s camp is reportedly backed by the Speaker and majority members of the Kano State House of Assembly, a significant number of commissioners, members of the State Executive Council, local government chairmen under ALGON, councillors, members of the House of Representatives, and several political appointees.
