Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf on Monday met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in what sources say is a politically significant engagement.
Dressed in his signature flowing white babanriga and a red Kwankwasiyya cap, Yusuf was seen heading to the President’s office at 4:13 pm local time.
The meeting comes amid ongoing speculation about Yusuf’s potential defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that has been delayed multiple times since early January.
This marks Yusuf’s first known audience with President Tinubu since returning from Abu Dhabi, where the President attended the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Sources familiar with the matter said the defection has been stalled over the APC’s reluctance to guarantee Yusuf an automatic gubernatorial ticket for the 2027 elections.
The governor is also reportedly seeking the authority to nominate a minister representing Kano State and to influence the replacement of federal appointees in the state.
Insiders indicate that these demands have put Yusuf at odds with key APC figures, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who is reportedly positioning for the 2027 governorship.
In recent days, Yusuf shared a video on his official Facebook account showing him presiding over the first State Executive Council meeting of 2026 at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
Yusuf’s political mentor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has publicly condemned the planned defection as a betrayal, warning of consequences if the move proceeds.
Loyalists, including Kwankwaso’s son, Hon. Mustapha Kwankwaso, have reportedly threatened resignation should Yusuf officially join the APC.
Meanwhile, APC chieftain Alhassan Ado Doguwa claimed that President Tinubu had directed a suspension of the party’s ongoing e-registration exercise in Kano until Yusuf formally joins.
Doguwa added that the President intends for Yusuf to be the first to e-register in the state.
In a message on Yusuf’s 63rd birthday on January 5, President Tinubu praised the governor for his infrastructural and grassroots development efforts, noting improvements in roads and education.
Tinubu described Kano as “the bastion of progressive politics in the North,” and commended Yusuf’s commitment to enhancing the welfare of the Talakawas, echoing the legacy of the late Mallam Aminu Kano.
