Kano State governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, has opened up on his Monday’s closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, a parley that political observers said may have paved the way for his much-rumoured defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, Governor Yusuf said the “strategic engagement” with the President focused on security challenges, infrastructure development, and strengthening Kano’s partnership with the Federal Government.
According to the statement, the governor briefed President Tinubu on worsening insecurity in parts of the state, citing the recent killing of a housewife and her children as “deeply disturbing” and calling for “urgent federal intervention to protect lives and property.”
He also highlighted the efforts of the Kano State Neighbourhood Watch Corps in complementing conventional security agencies and called for “deeper collaboration with federal security institutions to enhance intelligence-sharing, coordination, and operational effectiveness.”
On development, Yusuf outlined his administration’s infrastructure-driven agenda, emphasizing ongoing mega projects aimed at stimulating economic growth and job creation. He specifically thanked President Tinubu for the Federal Government’s intervention on the Wujuwuju Road, describing it as “a critical project that will unlock commercial activities and improve connectivity within the state.”
The governor further sought federal support to fast-track other ongoing and proposed projects, stressing the importance of ensuring Kano State “benefits maximally from federal programmes and investments.”
President Tinubu, according to the statement, assured Governor Yusuf of his administration’s readiness to work closely with Kano to tackle insecurity and drive sustainable development, reaffirming his commitment to “national cohesion and inclusive growth.”
Beyond the governance discussions, Monday’s three-hour meeting, which began around 4:10 p.m. and ended shortly after 7 p.m. stirred strong political speculation in Abuja and Kano State.
Multiple sources familiar with the talks revealed the meeting “resolved lingering political concerns” that had delayed the governor’s planned move to the APC.
After the meeting, Yusuf, clad in his signature white babbar riga and the Kwankwasiyya red cap, declined to speak at length with journalists, only saying, “I will be back.” The remark has since fueled further speculation of his imminent defection.
LEADERSHIP reports that Governor Yusuf’s possible move to the APC has heightened tensions between him and his political godfather, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, NNPP’s national leader, who has publicly warned of “consequences” should the governor leave the party on which he was elected.
While Yusuf has maintained public silence, several of his aides and associates have reportedly been engaging APC leaders in Kano and Abuja. Meanwhile, defections by some of his supporters at the ward and local government levels have already begun.
