Kwankwaso in talks with APC chairman Nentawe over possible defection

Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso

Fresh indications suggest that former Kano State governor and NNPP presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is in talks with the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, over plans to defect to the ruling party.

Sources within the APC in Kano confirmed that Kwankwaso has written to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, signalling his interest in joining the APC.

The development, however, could not be independently verified as of press time.

A senior APC official in Abuja disclosed that discussions between Kwankwaso and the APC leadership have reached an advanced stage, following a meeting the former Kano governor reportedly held with the presidency.

“As a party, we will abide by whatever decision our leaders believe is in the best interest of the APC,” the source said.

Kwankwaso, who spearheaded the NNPP’s surprise victory in Kano in 2023 with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf defeating APC’s Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, is said to have tabled conditions for his defection.

These include securing the APC’s governorship ticket for Yusuf in 2027 and a prominent role for himself in the next APC-led federal government.

Party insiders noted that Kwankwaso’s letter was addressed to the APC national leadership rather than the Kano chapter, reflecting his frosty relationship with the state leadership of the party.

“We are aware of the letter, but until everything is finalised, it remains an internal matter.

If he’s joining, he’s welcome,” an APC source in Kano confirmed.

Close associates of Governor Yusuf also hinted at his readiness to follow Kwankwaso into the APC, pending a final decision from his political mentor.

However, APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, dismissed reports of any official communication from Kwankwaso, insisting they remain speculative. “I don’t know anything about a letter.

But the APC is open to welcoming Kwankwaso or any politician who is ready to work within its progressive ideology,” he said.

Analysts note that Kwankwaso’s overtures to the APC mark a shift from his earlier stance.

Only last week, while addressing APC defectors at his residence in Kano, he had stressed that the NNPP would only consider a merger or return to the APC if concrete benefits for his party and its nationwide structures were guaranteed.