The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has strongly criticised Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, over his decision to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as a betrayal of both the party and the people of Kano State.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, NNPP National Spokesperson, Ladipo Johnson, said the party’s leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, was deeply disappointed by the governor’s action. According to him, the defection goes beyond internal party politics and represents a serious breach of trust with Kano voters who overwhelmingly supported the NNPP in the 2023 governorship election.

Johnson explained that Kano residents had deliberately rejected the APC after what they described as eight years of poor governance, choosing instead to place their confidence in the NNPP through Kwankwaso’s leadership. He noted that despite lacking an established political structure in the state at the time, the NNPP still won the election because of massive grassroots support.

He added that the people stood firmly by Governor Yusuf throughout prolonged legal battles at the tribunal, Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. Johnson argued that defecting to the APC without consulting the electorate amounts to disrespect for the mandate freely given by the people, insisting that returning power to the party voted out was a clear betrayal, regardless of how it is justified.