Kano Lawmakers Invoke Zamfara Precedent to Endorse Yusuf’s Planned Exit
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
KANO – Lawmakers in the Kano State House of Assembly say the painful political experience of Zamfara State is the key reason behind their support for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s proposed exit from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
The legislators argue that the unresolved leadership crisis and multiple court cases rocking the NNPP mirror the internal disputes that cost the All Progressives Congress (APC) control of Zamfara State in 2019, despite winning elections at the polls.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, the Majority Leader of the House, Lawan Hussaini, said the Assembly could not ignore the legal dangers surrounding the party, warning that remaining on the NNPP platform could expose the governor and other elected officials to the risk of judicial removal.
“There is an existing court judgement that recognises a particular faction of the NNPP,” Hussaini told journalists. “We cannot continue to remain in the party and risk a repeat of the legal disaster that happened in Zamfara State.”
According to him, the NNPP is currently divided by rival leadership claims and ongoing litigation, creating uncertainty over the party’s legal standing and the validity of its nominations ahead of future elections.
Hussaini explained that the Zamfara case serves as a clear warning of how internal party disputes can override electoral victories. In that instance, the APC won almost all elective offices in the state during the 2019 general elections but failed to conduct valid primaries due to internal disagreements.
Shortly before the inauguration of elected officials, the Supreme Court ruled that the APC had no valid candidates, declared the votes cast for the party wasted and ordered that candidates with the next highest votes who met constitutional requirements be declared winners.
The judgment transferred the governorship to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Bello Matawalle, while the PDP also secured nearly all legislative seats in the state, despite losing at the polls.
Drawing from that precedent, Hussaini said Kano lawmakers believe a similar outcome could occur if the NNPP’s internal crisis is not resolved. He warned that ongoing factional battles and court cases could invalidate the party’s candidates, even after successful elections.
He said this fear informed the Assembly’s decision to support calls urging Governor Yusuf and the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to consider leaving the NNPP for what he described as a more stable political platform, including the APC.
Hussaini added that lawmakers were already consulting with Yusuf and Kwankwaso to agree on what he termed a “strategic and timely” defection that would safeguard the mandate given to them by voters.