Kwankwaso: Kano to consider impeaching dep gov over defection rift

Political tension is rising in Kano State following Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s decision to quit the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and move to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a development that has placed his deputy, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, at the centre of a growing power struggle.

Governor Yusuf’s resignation from the NNPP and his expected formal registration with the APC have triggered mass defections across the state.

According to reports, 22 members of the Kano State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives and 44 local government chairmen have also resigned from the NNPP and are expected to complete their APC registration today.

Most members of the State Executive Council have followed the governor’s lead, leaving only a handful of officials who have chosen to remain loyal to the NNPP leader and founder of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Those who have refused to defect include Deputy Governor Gwarzo; the Head of Service, Abdullahi Musa; the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Adamu Aliyu Kibiya; and the Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Yusuf Ibrahim Kofarmata.

A senior aide to the governor noted that lawmakers loyal to Yusuf are discussing the possibility of impeaching the deputy governor if he refuses to resign.

The aide said an earlier plot had been to remove Yusuf and replace him with Gwarzo during the defection process, but the plan reportedly failed after Kwankwaso realised that most lawmakers involved had already pledged allegiance to the governor.

Sources close to the governor said attention has now shifted to Gwarzo, with impeachment being considered after the defection process is concluded, given his continued loyalty to Kwankwaso and rejection of the move to the APC.

Efforts to get official reactions from the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, and the deputy governor’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Shuaibu, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing the report.

While the affected commissioners still attend Executive Council meetings, they have largely stayed away from the governor’s public engagements since the defections began. Instead, they have been seen attending political events organised by Kwankwaso.

A source familiar with the situation said the officials had not been formally sidelined but were deliberately keeping a low profile to avoid escalating tensions.

“They cannot move freely now because even supporters may confront them. It’s not that the government has sidelined them; they are just trying to avoid trouble,” the source said.

Political analyst Dr Kabiru Sufi said the deputy governor’s future would depend on his actions and how the executive and legislature respond in the coming weeks.

“If he continues to stay away from official duties and aligns more with factional politics, the House of Assembly may step in,” he said.

Another analyst, Adnan Mukhtar Tudunwada, argued that Gwarzo’s options were limited to resignation or impeachment, predicting that he could be gradually sidelined.

“He will be denied the chance to function effectively and reduced to a role worse than a spare tyre,” Tudunwada said.

However, Kabir Yunusa Buhari offered a different perspective, suggesting that the deputy governor could instead emerge as Kwankwaso’s preferred candidate in a future governorship contest.