A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ladipo Johnson, has stated that the party will win the Kano State governorship election in 2027 whether Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf remains in the party or defects to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Johnson made the assertion while reacting to growing speculation that the Kano State governor may leave the NNPP following his recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu, which has reignited the defection rumours.
Speaking on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s breakfast show, ‘The Morning Brief’, Johnson said the NNPP has consistently shown electoral strength in Kano State even without holding political office.
“In 2019, without a sitting governor or members of the House of Assembly, etc, we believe we won Kano, but yes, INEC said it was inconclusive, and later on Ganduje won a re-election,” he said.
“In 2023, same position. We went up against the APC, and well, His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf knows that he won the elections.”
Johnson further stressed that the party’s victory in the last election was achieved without incumbency at the grassroots level.
“NNPP won the elections, won most of the seats, and we did this without having anyone in situ, any officials in situ, no councillors, nothing.”
Expressing confidence ahead of the 2027 polls, the NNPP chieftain said the party remained unfazed by defection talks surrounding the governor.
“We were able to win Kano, and by God’s special grace, in 2027, the same thing will happen whether or not he has left us or whether he’s with us. And that sounds slightly arrogant. I’m not being arrogant. I’m just saying it’s politics, and I believe that we will be able to win Kano,” he reiterated.
Governor Yusuf’s visit to President Tinubu on Monday evening has fueled renewed claims of a planned defection to the APC. However, the governor’s spokesman, Sanusi Bature, dismissed the speculation, saying the meeting was not politically motivated.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Bature said, “Governor Yusuf informed President Tinubu about the recent tragic killing of a housewife and her children, stressing the need for decisive federal support to strengthen security operations and protect innocent citizens.”
Governor Yusuf won the 2023 Kano State governorship election on the NNPP platform, defeating APC candidate and incumbent deputy governor at the time, Yusuf Gawuna. In recent months, rumours of a possible move to the APC have intensified, alongside reports of strained relations between the governor and NNPP national leader, Engr. Rabiu Kwankwaso.
