Kano NNPP Urges Governor Abba Yusuf to Stay Back, Labels APC Defection ‘Betrayal’

• Governor meets with ruling party’s chiefs

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State has appealed to the state governor, Abba Yusuf, to stay with the party, warning that defecting to All Progressives Congress (APC) would betray the mandate given to him by the people, who voted him into office on the NNPP ticket.

Speaking with newsmen in Kano, yesterday, NNPP state chairman, Hashimu Dungurawa, warned that any move to APC by the governor would not have their support, and would be resisted by all the party faithful in the state.

Dungurawa said the party structure had exhausted all avenues to ensure its togetherness, to no avail, and was still using all available channels to reach out to Yusuf and his supporters to appeal to them not to leave NNPP.

Dungurawa said, “Information reaching us indicated certain elements in NNPP are hell-bent on leaving our party, but I would like to make it categorically clear that our party and our national leader, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, have no hand in what’s going on.

“We’ve convinced them not to decamp to APC, and we’re still convincing them to stay with us and carry on with the good work of helping the people, especially in the areas of agriculture and small businesses, as stipulated in our constitution.

“I want to issue a stern warning to those creating a rift between the governor and his political mentor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Senator Rufai Hanga, Sanusi Surajo Kwankwaso, and myself, Hashimu Dungurawa to desist from it.

“It’s unfortunate that some people are pointing fingers at us regarding the current happenings, citing our close relationship with Kwankwaso. But I want to make it clear to all that on no occasion have we ever participated in any evil doing against anyone.”

The NNPP declaration came on the heels of an emergency meeting between the governor and two APC chieftains from Kano, Alhaji Kabir Alhassan Rurum, the member representing Rano, Kibiya, and Bunkure Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, and Director-General of National Productivity Centre, Dr. Baffa Babba Dan’agundi, from Kano Municipal local government.

According to sources, the late-night meeting may not be unconnected with Yusuf’s planned defection from NNPP to APC, and the selection of a deputy governor from Kano South Senatorial District, a zone that had never produced a deputy governor in the state’s history.