As political tension simmers in Kano State over reported planned defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to the All Progressives Congress (APC), an old video recorded around July, 2024, showing the governor firmly pledging loyalty to his political mentor and NNPP national leader, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has resurfaced and gone viral.
The viral old video has gained renewed attention amid intensifying speculation that Governor Yusuf may defect from the New Nigeria People’s Party to the APC this January.
In the footage, recorded during a late-night interaction with journalists at the Government House, Kano, Governor Yusuf dismissed claims of any rift between himself and Kwankwaso, describing such narratives as insulting and divisive.
“By saying I should stand on my own feet, they are insulting me and indirectly dismissing all the achievements of my administration,” Yusuf said, reacting to the emergence of the ‘Abba Tsaya da Kafarka’ Movement at the time. The slogan translated as ‘Abba, stand on your own feet’, was veiled message urging the governor to assert his political independence from Kwankwaso’s grip.
The governor stressed that loyalty remains central to his political identity and that of the people of Kano. “God gave me the opportunity to be governor, but Kwankwaso’s support made it possible. Why should I betray him?” Yusuf asked.
He added that those pushing the narrative were deliberately sowing discord, insisting that he remained focused on governance and service to the people.
“I have always been loyal,” he reiterated in the video.
In the now viral old video, Yusuf also dismissed reports that he had been ignoring phone calls from Kwankwaso, explaining that he deliberately avoided legal action against a media organisation that published the claim out of respect for the journalism profession.
“I could have challenged the journalist who wrote that story, but I chose not to because I respect this profession and want to work with the media, not against it,” he said.
The re-emergence of the old video comes at a time when Governor Yusuf has maintained a loud silence over the growing defection rumours about him, allowing speculation to deepen within political circles across the state.
However, the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has publicly rejected calls for Governor Yusuf’s defection to the APC.
Kwankwaso, speaking on Saturday at his private residence in Kano, said he was not in support of any planned defection. “If they continue on this path, there will come a time when people will say Ganduje’s betrayal was even better despite how rotten he is,” Kwankwaso said, referencing Governor Yusuf and his supporters, who were calling for his defection to APC.
LEADERSHIP reports Governor Yusuf has neither publicly confirmed any planned defection to the APC nor has he replied to Kwankwaso’s public reaction as at the time of filing this report.
