Kwankwaso in advanced talks with APC chairman Nentawe over defection

Strong indications have emerged that former Kano State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is in advanced consultations to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Reliable party sources confirmed to Business Hallmark that Kwankwaso has opened direct lines of communication with the APC national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and has already submitted a formal letter to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, signalling his intention to return to the APC.

Although this development could not be independently verified as of press time, insiders at the APC secretariat in Abuja disclosed that talks between Kwankwaso and the national leadership were ongoing and had reached “an advanced stage.”

“This follows a meeting the former governor recently held with the presidency,” one source explained. “As a party, we will abide by whatever decision the leaders feel is in the best interest of the APC.”

Kwankwaso, who powered the NNPP to victory in Kano during the last general election, delivering both the presidential and governorship polls, remains a dominant political figure in the state. His protégé, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, defeated the APC’s Nasir Yusuf Gawuna in the governorship race.

According to a source within the Kano APC, Kwankwaso has presented a set of conditions for his defection. Chief among them is a demand that Governor Yusuf be allowed to fly the APC governorship ticket in 2027, while Kwankwaso himself is assured of a prominent role in the next APC-led federal government.

“We are aware of the letter he submitted, but it is not something we can discuss openly now,” the source said. “If he is coming, we have nothing against that. He is welcome. But from what we know, the letter was submitted in Abuja, not Kano, because of his long-standing rivalry with the Kano chapter of the party.”

Political observers say Kwankwaso’s move, coming less than two years to the 2027 general election, signals his readiness to reposition himself within the ruling party’s power structure and potentially play a decisive role in the next electoral cycle.