Kano State Chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Hashimu Dungurawa, has dismissed widespread speculation that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is planning to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Dungurawa, while speaking to journalists in Kano on Monday, described the rumour as a political miscalculation driven by those who feel threatened by Kwankwaso’s influence.
He said the former Kano governor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement remains firmly with the NNPP and is not in a hurry to make political moves without careful consideration.
“The question of Kwankwaso joining ADC or any other party is just a miscalculation of politicians who are afraid of the leader of Kwankwasiyya Movement,” Dungurawa stated. “I know Kwankwaso too well; he is not in a hurry to show where he is going.”
He added that Kwankwaso’s standing in the political landscape, especially in Northern Nigeria, makes any speculation about defection premature and unfounded.
“Kwankwaso today is the political leader of Northern Nigeria, and every politician, specifically in this region, is looking up to him. It will be malicious to say he is decamping out for now,” he added.
Responding to reports that Kwankwaso had been seen holding discussions with members of other political parties, Dungurawa clarified that such engagements are routine and do not indicate any intent to defect.
“As a politician who holds a PhD in the field, do you expect him to isolate himself or avoid interactions? No. He can talk to anybody—it is normal and doesn’t imply anything more,” he said.
He also challenged those claiming to be nervous about Kwankwaso’s political direction, suggesting that only insincere supporters would be alarmed.
“Those so-called followers and supporters of Kwankwaso who are jittery about where he is going are pretenders,” he said. “The genuine ones know he doesn’t take any decisions without consulting them, including ward-level supporters.”
On the performance of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who was elected under the NNPP platform, Dungurawa said the governor’s achievements in infrastructure have silenced the opposition.
“Governor Yusuf’s heavy infrastructural development has overwhelmed the opposition,” he said. “They can’t even show their presence anywhere in Kano. That is why we are proud of what he is doing.”
Kwankwaso, a former defence minister and two-term governor of Kano State, has not publicly commented on the defection rumour.
