Kano gov meets Tinubu at Aso Rock amid defection

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, on Monday met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, fuelling renewed speculation over his possible defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Yusuf, dressed in his trademark white babanriga and red Kwankwasiyya cap, was seen heading to the President’s office at about 4:13 pm, according to a correspondent at the Villa.

The visit comes amid ongoing talks over a potential switch to the APC, which have reportedly stalled several times since early January.

However the defection was delayed after APC leaders declined Yusuf’s request for a written guarantee of an automatic gubernatorial ticket for the 2027 elections.

The governor is also said to be seeking the right to nominate a minister for Kano State and to replace federal appointees from the state with his loyalists—demands that have reportedly put him at odds with influential APC figures, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who is believed to be eyeing the Kano governorship in 2027.

Monday’s meeting marked Yusuf’s first known audience with President Tinubu since the latter returned from Abu Dhabi, where he attended the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Earlier, a video shared on Yusuf’s official Facebook page showed him presiding over the first Kano State Executive Council meeting of 2026 at the state governor’s lodge in Abuja.

The governor’s political mentor and NNPP national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has publicly condemned the planned defection, describing it as a betrayal and warning of political consequences in 2027. Reports also indicate that Kwankwaso’s son, Hon. Mustapha Kwankwaso, alongside other cabinet members loyal to him, may resign if Yusuf formally joins the APC.

Meanwhile, an APC chieftain in Kano, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, claimed in a viral video that President Tinubu had ordered the suspension of the party’s ongoing e-registration exercise in Kano until Yusuf officially defects, adding that the President wants the governor to be the first to register.

President Tinubu had earlier praised Yusuf in a statement marking his 63rd birthday on January 5, commending his infrastructural strides and grassroots-focused governance. He highlighted urban renewal projects, road construction across local governments, and improvements in the education sector following the declaration of a state of emergency in education.

Tinubu also described Kano as “the bastion of progressive politics in the North,” noting that Yusuf’s administration reflects a commitment to grassroots development and the welfare of the talakawa, in line with the legacy of the late Mallam Aminu Kano.