ENUGU, NIGERIA (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Security was tightened on Monday at the Kano State Government House amid growing speculation that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is planning to defect from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
At the main entrance of the Government House, combined security personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) were stationed at strategic locations.
Access into the premises was subjected to strict identification procedures, as operatives intensified checks on visitors and staff.
The heightened security presence coincides with rising tension over reports of a rift between Governor Yusuf and his political mentor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso, the national leader of the NNPP, has reportedly opposed Yusuf’s alleged plan to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that such a move could destabilise the party and weaken the Kwankwasiyya political movement.
Despite the speculation, Yusuf has denied any disagreement with his former mentor.
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The political tension has, however, spilled into the NNPP, exposing cracks in the long-standing alliance between the two leaders.
In a press statement issued on behalf of the NNPP at both the Kano State and national levels, the party said it was fully aware of the unfolding political developments and does not support any defection to the APC.
“We are aware of the developments happening here in Kano State concerning some individuals who intend to defect to the APC,” the NNPP Kano State Chairman, Hashim Dungurawa, said.
“I want to make it clear that the Kano State party, the national party, and our national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, together with other leaders, do not approve of what is happening.”
Kano State is regarded as one of Nigeria’s most politically strategic states due to its massive voter population.
The state consistently ranks among those with the highest number of registered voters and has, in past general elections, delivered millions of votes that shaped national outcomes.