Kwankwaso set for ADC switch as defection ceremony holds Monday

THE Kwankwasiyya movement has announced that former governor of Kano State, Mr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, will officially leave the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday.

The event is expected to take place in Kano, where Kwankwaso will be joined by several NNPP loyalists, signaling a coordinated political shift as preparations for the 2027 general election gather momentum.

The development follows a recent visit by ADC’s National Secretary and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, who met with Kwankwaso at his Abuja residence. While Kwankwaso acknowledged the meeting on his X account, he did not reveal what was discussed.

Speculation about his departure intensified over the weekend during the annual Kwankwasiyya Eid gathering in Kano. Supporters were heard chanting the name of former Anambra State governor and ex-Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as both leaders appeared at the event and addressed the crowd briefly.

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Kwankwaso’s formal registration with the ADC on Monday will confirm his exit from the NNPP, a party he helped build, and mark the beginning of a new political alignment ahead of the next election cycle.

Abba Yusuf’s exit

Kwankwaso lost one of his high-profile political godsons in January. Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State left the NNPP and joined the ruling APC, altering poltical calculations in the state. According to party insiders, Mr Yusuf is believed to have entered into a political understanding with Mr Kwankwaso that major decisions affecting his political alignment would be taken in consultation with him.

Mr Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor and two-time presidential candidate, maintained a cautious distance from the APC and worked to preserve the NNPP as a viable third-force platform ahead of the 2027 general elections. But this appears nearly impossible given that all only 4 of 36 state governors are yet to join the APC.