Kwankwaso Betrayed: Recalls How He Lobbied Supreme Court Judges for Governor Who Just Defected to APC

Rabiu Kwankwaso, the National Leader of the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP), has expressed profound disappointment following the defection of his political protégé, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In an emotional address to supporters at his residence, Kwankwaso described Yusuf’s move as a deep political betrayal, stating he had “never been this let down politically.” He revealed that it would have been less painful if the governor had joined a lesser-known party like the African Democratic Congress (ADC), rather than handing the NNPP’s mandate “to enemies.”

The NNPP leader then recounted the intense struggle to secure Yusuf’s political career, recalling the aftermath of the 2019 Kano governorship election which was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). At the time, both men were in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Kwankwaso went further to disclose that he personally lobbied Supreme Court judges on Yusuf’s behalf after the disputed election. “In 2019, I took him to the homes of all the Supreme Court judges in Nigeria to beg them. I and the governor met them in their villages and towns,” he said in a video statement published by his media aide.

He recalled how former Senate President Pius Anyim had been shocked by the initial election crisis, holding his head in disbelief at the time.

Background: The 2019 Election Legal Battle  

The 2019 Kano governorship election was initially declared inconclusive after Yusuf, then the PDP candidate, led the incumbent APC Governor Abdullahi Ganduje by 26,655 votes, with over 100,000 votes cancelled. A supplementary election was held, after which Ganduje was declared the winner.

Yusuf challenged the result up to the Supreme Court, which ultimately dismissed his appeal in January 2020, affirming Ganduje’s victory. Kwankwaso and Yusuf later moved to the NNPP, under which Yusuf successfully ran for and won the governorship in 2023—a victory heavily attributed to Kwankwaso’s political machinery and the Kwankwasiyya movement.

Governor Yusuf had cited “deepening internal crises” and “prolonged leadership disputes” within the NNPP as reasons for his defection last Friday.

The move marks a significant shift in Kano’s political landscape and represents a major setback for Kwankwaso and the NNPP, which had established a stronghold in the state.