The political intrigue in Nigeria continues to be dominated by speculation about Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s possible defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), amid a flurry of claims and denials from top political figures.
The former Kano State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the NNPP has reportedly held discussions with President Bola Tinubu regarding his political future, fueling rumours that his switch to the APC is imminent. Adding credibility to these speculations was the recent defection of three federal lawmakers allied with Kwankwaso to the APC on Thursday, April 24, 2025. The lawmakers—Senator Sumaila Kawu and Representatives Aliyu Sani Madaki and Kabiru Usman Rurum—reportedly met with APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje before their formal declaration for the ruling party.
However, the NNPP in Kano State has vehemently denied these rumours. The party’s Chairman, Alhaji Hashimu Dungurawa, dismissed the speculation while addressing journalists in Kano: “We have no business with the APC, and do not have any intention to defect to it,” he stated, describing the rumors as “mere mischief” and “the highest mischief in the land.”
The controversy gained momentum when APC’s Kano State Chairman, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, publicly welcomed Kwankwaso’s “impending defection” during a press conference at the party’s headquarters on Maiduguri Road, Kano.
“This is a welcome development, especially considering that the APC remains his last political refuge, having severed ties with other political groupings across the country,” Abbas declared. He added that the party had directed all ward chapters to “open registers for new entrants, regardless of their political or social status.”
Abbas also set conditions for potential defectors, stating that those who had previously made derogatory remarks against party leaders—including President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima—”must publicly apologise as a show of remorse and respect for future political engagements.”
Former Kano Governor and current APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, has been particularly vocal about Kwankwaso’s alleged plans to return to the APC. During a recent courtesy visit by the Tinubu Support Group to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, Ganduje boldly claimed: “The NNPP is dead. And it will soon be buried very, very soon. I’m hoping where we will put the dead body, the coffin has already been constructed.”
He added confidently, “What remains now is to dig the grave. And already they are digging the grave very, very soon. Even like that, the so-called NNPP national leader, he, too, says that after losing everyone, he wants to come back to us. We will welcome him, because he’s coming back home.”
This political saga follows a series of events that have kept speculation about Kwankwaso’s defection alive for the past year, including his visit to President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa shortly after the President’s inauguration, internal crises within the NNPP resulting in suspension orders against Kwankwaso, and his alleged disagreements with Kano Governor Abba Yusuf over cabinet appointments.
As high-wired politics continues to play out, observers await the next move from Senator Kwankwaso himself, who has maintained a conspicuous silence amid the swirling rumours of his political future.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
