…Deputy Governor absent
…Deputy Senate President Barau endorses second-term bid
By Bashir Bello, Kano
Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has explained that his decision to defect from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was driven by the overall interest, stability, and development of Kano State, and not by personal political ambition.
The governor made this known on Monday during his formal defection ceremony held at the Government House in Kano. He defected alongside 22 of the 24 members of the Kano State House of Assembly, nine of the state’s 14 federal lawmakers, 44 local government chairmen, and several other political office holders.
Addressing party leaders, supporters, and invited guests, Yusuf said the decision followed wide consultations, careful reflection, and a sober assessment of the current realities facing Kano State and Nigeria as a whole.
“I address you today with a deep sense of responsibility, clarity of purpose, and abiding faith in our shared destiny as a people,” the governor said. “There are moments in the life of a society when leadership must rise above sentiment and politics to make choices guided by responsibility, history, and the future. Today is one of such moments.”
He explained that the return to the APC was anchored on the need to work in closer alignment with the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in order to deliver tangible benefits to the people of Kano.
“Our return to the APC is firmly anchored on the necessity of working in closer alliance with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Yusuf said. “It is a conscious decision aimed at more effective delivery across critical sectors, including social welfare, infrastructure, security, and inclusive economic development.”
The governor stressed that the move was not inspired by political excitement or personal ambition, but by the overriding need to ensure stability, progress, and the well-being of Kano residents.
“Kano is blessed with population, enterprise, and resilience. However, political tension and cycles of confrontation have at critical moments slowed our progress. Our people are asking for results, not rivalries; solutions, not slogans,” he said.
According to him, effective governance in today’s Nigeria requires strategic alignment, cooperation, and access to federal support rather than political isolation.
“By aligning with the centre, we choose stability over stagnation, partnership over polarity, and progress over pride,” Yusuf added, noting that the decision would enhance cooperation in infrastructure development, security coordination, industrial growth, and investment attraction.
The governor also announced plans to establish a Kano Elders Council to promote unity and the “One Kano” agenda. He said the council would operate above partisan politics and serve as a platform for guidance, reconciliation, and counsel in the interest of peace and sustainable development.
“This council will stand for peace, unity, stability, and sustainable development. It will not govern, but guide; not compete, but counsel,” he said, assuring residents that the state would remain inclusive and that no group would be excluded.
Notably absent from the defection ceremony was the Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, in brief remarks at the event, endorsed Governor Yusuf for a second term in office, describing his defection as timely and beneficial to the state.
Also speaking, the Kano State Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Abbas, described the governor’s defection as a bold and patriotic step taken in the interest of peace, unity, and progress of Kano State.
The post My defection not personal ambition but in Kano’s interest — Gov. Yusuf appeared first on Vanguard News.
