Yusuf Abandoned Kwankwaso Long Before APC Defection, Says Buba Galadima

Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has alleged that Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, abandoned his political benefactor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, long before he publicly announced his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Galadima said Yusuf’s decision to align with the APC and former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, amounted to a historic betrayal of the political movement that brought him to power.

According to him, the governor severed ties with Kwankwaso barely three months after assuming office, despite maintaining a façade of loyalty in public.

“Three months into his tenure, he abandoned Kwankwaso, but publicly he still treated him like a king. What happens behind closed doors is different,” Galadima said.

He dismissed claims that Yusuf’s defection was motivated by the interests of Kano residents, insisting the move was driven purely by self-preservation.

Galadima argued that the defection would have been viewed differently had Yusuf joined another political party.

“Had Governor Yusuf moved from the NNPP to another platform other than the APC, I could have said he moved well. But in this case, it is only a matter of survival,” he said.

Describing the development as emotionally painful for the NNPP leadership, Galadima recounted the sacrifices made to secure Yusuf’s emergence as governor.

“There is nothing under the sun we did not do for Abba Kabir Yusuf to prevail. For three days, Kwankwaso and I did not sleep. We travelled, we struggled, and we put everything on the line,” he said.

He also credited late former President Muhammadu Buhari and the judiciary for Yusuf’s eventual victory after prolonged legal battles.

“The man who took our victory in 2019 and gave it to Ganduje later stood firm and said, ‘This boy won his election. Give him his victory,’” Galadima stated.

However, he accused Yusuf of abandoning the principles that sustained him politically, claiming fear of future electoral defeat influenced his decision to defect.

He rejected suggestions that the governor had freed himself from Kwankwaso’s influence, maintaining that Yusuf was merely a beneficiary of the NNPP.

He further claimed that Yusuf had lost grassroots support, noting that the party deliberately remained silent until the governor formally announced his defection.

“Today, we have the sympathy of the people of Kano,” Galadima said, adding that the NNPP would survive despite losing its only governor.