Indications have emerged that Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has secured the backing of a majority of elected officials, party executives and influential support groups in the state ahead of his planned defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Sources disclosed that the development followed weeks of consultations across Kano’s political landscape and signals a major rupture in the long-standing political alliance between Yusuf and his mentor, former governor and NNPP national leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Kwankwaso, who has openly opposed the governor’s planned move, has reportedly opened a “loyalty register” at his Miller Road residence in Kano to document elected officials and political groups willing to remain with the NNPP.

However, it was gathered that despite Kwankwaso’s counter-move, Governor Yusuf has drawn significant support from within the influential Kwankwasiyya political movement, suggesting an internal realignment that weakens Kwankwaso’s hold on the structure.

The governor’s supporters argue that the planned defection is aimed at freeing the administration from what they describe as Kwankwaso’s overbearing political influence, allowing Yusuf to pursue governance and development priorities independently.

Opponents, however, have described the move as a betrayal of the political struggle that brought the NNPP to power in Kano.

It was gathered that as of Monday, Rufa’i Sani Hanga, senator representing Kano Central, alongside three members of the House of Representatives, Mukhtar Yarima (Tarauni), Abdulkarim Ado (Wudil/Garko) and Sani Wakili (Minjibir/Ungogo), affirmed their loyalty to Kwankwaso by signing the register.

But it was also gathered that Governor Yusuf enjoys the backing of 21 members of the House of Representatives, including lawmakers from the APC.

An APC member of the House of Representatives, Ado Doguwa, has publicly declared the party’s support for Yusuf’s planned transition.

Sources further revealed that the governor commands the loyalty of the majority of the 25 NNPP lawmakers in the Kano State House of Assembly.

But some legislators, including Yusuf Aliyu (Nasarawa) and Zakariyya Ishaq (Kura/Garun Malam), are with Kwankwaso.

The lawmaker representing Madobi Local Government Area, Kwankwaso’s home council, is said to be undecided.

Also, at the grassroots level, sources said all 44 local government chairpersons, their deputies and ward-level executives across the state have opted to follow the governor.

In the same vein, several Kwankwasiyya-aligned organisations, including Lafiya Jari and the Community Reorientation Committee, CRC, have reportedly shifted their allegiance to Governor Yusuf.

In a further blow to Kwankwaso’s political base, a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, splinter group known as ‘Option A’, which previously functioned as a quiet support bloc for him, has dissolved and aligned with Governor Yusuf.

Yusuf, long regarded as Kwankwaso’s most loyal political ally for nearly four decades, was expected to announce his defection earlier in January. However, the move was postponed to allow for additional consultations with federal lawmakers to ensure a smooth exit from the NNPP.

The NNPP currently controls only one governorship seat nationwide – Kano.

Political analysts say Yusuf’s defection could strip the NNPP of its strongest political base and significantly weaken its influence, as well as that of Kwankwaso, ahead of the 2027 general elections.