By Nworisa Michael
Former Kano State Governor and leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Sen. Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has advised his supporters who are allegedly under pressure to defect to another political bloc to comply temporarily in order to avoid victimisation.
Kwankwaso gave the advice while speaking in Hausa during a meeting with supporters in Kano on Tuesday. A short video of the interaction was later shared by his media aide, Saifullahi Hassan.
The former governor explained that several NNPP members holding elective and appointive positions in Kano State had complained of intense pressure to align with a political movement associated with the All Progressives Congress (APC), popularly referred to as the Gandujiyya movement.
According to him, some affected party members were reportedly asked to sign documents indicating their willingness to defect, a development he said had caused fear, anxiety and emotional distress among supporters.
“Many of them reached out to me deeply worried,” Kwankwaso said. “Some could not sleep, while others reportedly required medical attention due to the pressure.”
He noted that after consultations with close associates, it was agreed that affected supporters should sign any such documents if doing so would protect them from harassment or political intimidation.
Kwankwaso stressed that the advice was given purely to ease tension and safeguard the welfare of party members, especially as active politicking for the 2027 general elections has not officially begun.
The comments come amid ongoing internal disputes within the NNPP in Kano, the party on whose platform Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was elected in 2023. The election was widely seen as a contest between Kwankwaso’s Kwankwasiyya political movement and the APC-aligned Gandujiyya bloc.
Despite speculation of possible defections by some political actors, Kwankwaso has repeatedly stated that he has no intention of leaving the NNPP or joining any political party that does not offer him a clear presidential pathway ahead of the 2027 elections.