President Bola Tinubu’s strategic outreach to former rival Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), aimed at consolidating support in Kano State ahead of the 2027 elections, has ignited significant opposition within the All-Progressives Congress (APC), particularly among its northern leadership, who have told the president without mincing their words, that they will resign en masse and join the opposition.
Three APC sources, one very close to the northern leadership told Huhuonline.com that ever since their 2023 meeting in Paris, France, Tinubu has been floating the idea of dropping current vice-president, Karim Shettima, and replacing him with Kwankwaso on the APC 2027 presidential ticket. The APC sources identified Kwankwaso’s associate, Abdulmumin Jibrin, a former ally of Tinubu, as the person who has been interfacing between the two men. The president’s moves have come under sharp public criticism by northern APC leaders.
Huhuonline.com understands that opposition to Kwankwaso joining the APC is being led by Abdulmajid Danbilki Kwamanda, a prominent voice of dissent who has made his views known that Kwankwaso is not welcome in the APC in Kano. Kwamanda, a staunch APC stalwart in Kano and close ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has vehemently and openly criticized Tinubu’s overtures to Kwankwaso, labeling them a betrayal of the northern electorate’s trust. He warned that integrating Kwankwaso into the APC or offering him any governmental role could fracture the APC’s unity in the North. Describing Kwankwaso as a “green snake,” Kwamanda cautioned that his inclusion could lead to internal crises within the APC.
Recall that in 2023, after Tinubu won the presidency and mulled at the idea of a government of national unity, involving the opposition, including Kwankwaso, Kwamanda said: “We in the Northwest do not welcome Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to our party APC. “We do not accept the idea of Bola Tinubu giving him any appointment even as low as a messenger in our dear party. “Should Tinubu ignore our outcry and appoint Kwankwaso, we are going to disrupt the entire APC in the North and withdraw our support for him. “If we set the party on fire, not even Tinubu as a president can put out that fire. We are the North and the people are our people. “We have invested all our efforts, integrity and dignity in the North to mobilize the people to vote for Tinubu, they refused to vote for a fellow Northerner just for him to win in the region and now come and embrace our major opposition. We will not accept that.”
Adding to the internal discord, APC sources confided to Huhuonline.com that APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who shares a fraught history with Kwankwaso, has publicly dismissed the necessity of any alliance with him. Ganduje asserts that the APC can reclaim Kano without Kwankwaso’s involvement, citing the defection of several of Kwankwaso’s supporters to the APC as evidence of his waning influence. Further skepticism comes from the APC Northwest Alliance for Good Governance. The group’s Secretary, Comrade Auwal Shuaib, emphasized that the party does not require Kwankwaso to regain control of Kano. He urged Tinubu to avoid emotional decisions and focus on strengthening the party’s existing structures.
Conversely, some within the APC advocate for reconciliation. Salihu Mohammed Lukman, former National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the APC, has appealed to the President to mediate between Ganduje and Kwankwaso. Lukman believes that mending their relationship could be pivotal for the APC’s dominance in Kano and the broader Northwest region. The internal debate underscores the complexities of political alliances in Nigeria, where regional loyalties and personal rivalries often intersect. As the 2027 elections approach, President Tinubu faces the challenge of balancing strategic partnerships with maintaining party cohesion.
However, Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, seems to be bidding his time and has been sending mixed signals, with his fierce condemnation of politicians who defect to rival parties after winning elections, calling it “the highest form of betrayal” in a democracy. Speaking in Kano at the weekend, while receiving new NNPP members from Takai Local Government Area, Kwankwaso expressed outrage over recent defections – particularly that of Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila and Rep. Kabiru Alhassan Rurum – from NNPP to the All-Progressives Congress (APC).
“These are people who rode on the backs of the masses to win elections, only to betray them by defecting to opposition camps,” Kwankwaso said. “This is the highest form of betrayal in a democratic setting. I don’t know of any greater political sin than when vulnerable people vote for you—rejecting deceivers and enemies of progress—and you turn around to join those same enemies. Had the people known, they wouldn’t have voted for you.”
Recalling past betrayals, Kwankwaso referenced the turbulence of 2015 when, he said, some joined the movement only to cause division. “They brought disunity and tried to destabilize the movement. But thank God, the movement did not derail,” he said.
He also reflected on the lessons of previous elections: “When the 2019 elections came, everyone saw what happened. The most recent one also taught us valuable lessons.” Kwankwaso emphasized that Kwankwasiyya remains a movement of the people, not one driven by money or personal gain. “Some people collected spaghetti and N2,000 to elect someone. But in Kano, the poor stood firm. If it had been left to those selling their votes, the NNPP wouldn’t have won.”
He warned politicians not to underestimate the power and resilience of Kwankwasiyya. “Fighting the Kwankwasiyya movement is a grave mistake for any politician. One may not understand until he engages in that fight—and then he’ll realize how tough it is to battle a solid wall.”
Reaffirming the movement’s commitment to the downtrodden, Kwankwaso urged members to stay focused and continue grassroots mobilization: “Whether you’re in this movement with or without an appointment, with or without contracts, we are all grateful to God. The poor now understand everything—and that’s what brought us to this moment.” He closed with a rallying call: “This movement favors the people in every aspect. It’s a movement to be proud of. Our constant goal is to uplift the common man.”
