2 weeks Ago By Our Reporters
In a major political twist, prominent figures of the New Nigeria People’s Party in Kano State have commenced high-level talks with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, signaling their intention to return to the ruling party. Sources confirmed to The PUNCH that a closed-door meeting, which took place in Abuja, was attended by top NNPP lawmakers including Senator Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila, who represents Kano South Senatorial District; Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, the lawmaker for Rano/Kibiya/Bunkure Federal Constituency; Ali Madaki, representing Dala Federal Constituency; and Hon.
Badamasi Ayuba, a former member of the House of Representatives for Danbatta/Makoda. The strategic meeting is understood to be part of an ongoing series of consultations as the former NNPP stalwarts finalise their defection plans to the APC. Their move comes amid mounting dissatisfaction within the NNPP, particularly over what the defecting lawmakers described as “alleged injustice, favoritism, and a lack of internal democracy” under the leadership of Dr.
Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the party’s national leader and founder of the Kwankwasiyya Movement. However, Senator Sumaila denied any defectedion plan. Speaking to Nasara Radio Nigeria in Hausa language, the senator’s Special Assistant on Media Affairs, Abbas Adam Abbas, confirmed the meeting between the lawmakers, including Sumaila, with Ganduje, but said it did not signify a plan to dump the NNPP for the APC.
He said the APC was woeing NNPP bigwigs but Sumaila had accepted their offer. Political observers say the planned defection could significantly shift the balance of power in Kano State, especially as the 2027 general elections draw closer. The return of these lawmakers to the APC would not only strengthen the ruling party’s influence in Kano but also deal a major blow to the NNPP, which gained strong ground in the state during the 2023 elections.
Related News NNPP dead, Kwankwaso to join APC - Ganduje 2027: Atiku bloc defies PDP govs over coalition talks Edo, PDP trade words over Tinubu 2027 campaign Recently, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, boasted that the APC would recapture Kano from the NNPP in 2027 with key political figures like Senator Basheer Lado, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, and the APC National Chairman, Ganduje, leading the charge. “Ahead of 2027, we are confident that with Senator Barau, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and your strategic self, Kano is already in the kitty of APC,” the Senate President said.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the NNPP in Kano State, Hashim Dungurawa, dismissed the defectors as irrelevant, labeling them as traitors who had already been suspended from the party. “They are not significant figures in the party. They betrayed the NNPP, and we had already suspended them before now.
A disciplinary panel has also been established to investigate their activities,” Dungurawa told The PUNCH. He further alleged that the defectors were acting on instructions from Ganduje with the aim of destabilising the NNPP from within. “Alhamdulillah, this doesn’t come as a surprise to us.
It’s now clear to the world—we have proven our earlier allegations that they were sent to create friction and cause divisions within our party. But we thank God that we discovered their motives early,” he said. Asked how the party felt about their departure, Dungurawa was blunt: “Yes, politics needs people, but not traitors.
We don’t need them.” He emphasised the gravity of suspending any member, especially senior figures, but insisted that the NNPP stood firmly by its decision. “It’s never easy to suspend even an ordinary member, let alone top figures.
But we still don’t need them—they’re not important to us,” he added..
