The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has expressed confidence that it will overcome its internal crisis in Kano State, despite the dissolution of party structures and speculation over a possible defection by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, said the NNPP would remain intact regardless of developments in Kano, where tensions have escalated between the party’s national leader and former governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Governor Yusuf. Reports of the governor’s alleged plan to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have further fuelled the crisis, a move Kwankwaso is said to oppose.
In response, the NNPP National Working Committee last Friday dissolved the Kano State Executive Committee, as well as all local government and ward leadership structures. Speaking on ARISE News on Saturday, Johnson said the action was taken to restore order and enforce the party’s constitution.
According to him, the crisis began when some party members attempted to remove the state chairman through what he described as unconstitutional means. He explained that the party’s constitution does not permit the removal of a state officer from the ward level, prompting the national leadership to intervene.
Johnson said dissolving all party structures from the state to the ward level was considered the most effective way to stabilise the situation. He added that caretaker committees would be constituted in the coming days to manage the party’s affairs in Kano State.
Dismissing claims that the decision could hasten Governor Yusuf’s reported defection to the APC, Johnson said the party’s actions had no bearing on the governor’s personal political choices. He recalled that a senior aide to the governor had earlier suggested that both Yusuf and Kwankwaso were planning to move to the APC, a claim Kwankwaso publicly denied.
Johnson said the NNPP acted pre-emptively after such reports emerged to prevent further instability within the party in Kano. While acknowledging internal divisions, he maintained that it was not the right time for defections, especially as national-level negotiations and consultations with various political blocs were ongoing.
He noted that political realignments were common at this stage of the electoral cycle, with parties preparing for primaries and campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections. Johnson stressed that the NNPP’s national leadership would not allow any faction to operate outside the authority of the party’s central organs.
On the party’s strategy for 2027, Johnson said no final decision had been taken regarding its presidential ticket or leadership direction. He expressed optimism that ongoing consultations and planned meetings early in the year would position the party more firmly ahead of the elections.
