2027: Kwankwaso dumps NNPP, Kano governor, set to join ADC

 

Maureen Aguta

 

A former Kano State governor and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is set to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday, over political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.

 

It was learnt that the planned defection follows weeks of intense consultations between Kwankwaso, leaders of the Kwankwasiyya movement, and top figures within the ADC.

 

Advocacy Times reports that the former presidential candidate has, in recent weeks, held a series of high-level meetings with key opposition stakeholders as part of efforts to forge a broader political coalition capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

Last week, Kwankwaso met with party leaders and stakeholders in Kano State, further consolidating internal support for the move.

 

He also engaged in talks with prominent political figures, including the ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola; the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi; Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; and the senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson.

 

Political insiders say the move is part of a wider opposition strategy to build a formidable alliance ahead of 2027, with the aim of unseating the APC at the federal level.

 

The latest development comes amid a deepening rift between Kwankwaso and his political protégé, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf.

 

Yusuf, long regarded as a key beneficiary of the Kwankwasiyya movement, recently defected from the NNPP to the APC alongside several lawmakers and political appointees.

 

Kwankwaso, however, publicly opposed the move, distancing himself from the defection and describing it as a betrayal, a stance that has further exposed cracks within the movement he built over the years.