APC Gains Ground in Kano as Governor’s Aide, NNPP Ward Chief Dump Party

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has tightened its grip on Kano State’s political landscape following the defection of two prominent figures from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), a development seen as a major boost for the ruling party ahead of future political contests.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, yesterday received Hon. Umar Bala Haruna, a Special Assistant to the Kano State Governor, and Hon. Muhammad Hussaini, the NNPP Organising Secretary in Bichi Ward of Bichi Local Government Area, who formally defected from the NNPP/Kwankwasiyya Movement to the APC.

Haruna’s defection was accompanied by his resignation as Special Assistant to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, a move he said was informed by his commitment to integrity, accountability and democratic principles. 

In a resignation letter dated December 22, 2025, Haruna, who was appointed in September 2023, conveyed his decision to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government.

The two politicians announced their defection during a courtesy visit to Senator Barau in Abuja. 

A statement by the Deputy Senate President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Malam Ismail Mudashir, said the decampees cited Senator Barau’s leadership style and people-oriented political vision as key factors influencing their decision.

According to the statement, the defectors described the Deputy President of the Senate as an icon and a beacon of hope for Kano State, expressing confidence in his capacity to reposition the state politically and economically.

Welcoming them into the APC, Barau said their decision underscored what he described as the growing national confidence in the APC-led administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He argued that the steady stream of defections from opposition parties was a clear signal of shifting political loyalties across the country.

Barau, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, declared that the NNPP’s influence in Kano was rapidly waning, as the APC continued to attract support from key political actors and grassroots structures within the state.

He said, “You are welcome to the people’s party, the APC. You have joined at a time when Kano people are trooping into our fold to reclaim the glory days of the state, when governance served the collective interest and not a privileged few. By the grace of God, Kano will rise again for the benefit of all its citizens.”

The latest defections are expected to further reshape Kano’s political dynamics, intensifying the contest between the APC and the NNPP in one of Nigeria’s most politically influential states.