Kano NNPP faction plans emergency meeting amid high-profile defections

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In response to the recent wave of important party figures defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Masud El-Jibril Doguwa, the chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) fruit basket group in Kano State, has announced intentions to call an emergency meeting.

Several key NNPP members, including Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (Kano South Senatorial District), Kabiru Alhassan Rurum (Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya Federal Constituency and former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly), Sha’aban Sharada (former representative of Kano Municipal Federal Constituency), and Aliyu Gini (Dala Federal Constituency), among others, defected to the APC on Thursday.

Doguwa, the leader of the group known as the “fruit basket,” stated in a statement on Friday that the defections were not unexpected. He attributed the latest departures to the internal strife inside the NNPP, specifically the Kwankwasiyya faction, which is led by former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

“When I took over as chairman, I made efforts to bring everyone on board. But the Kwankwasiyya group refused to cooperate and recognize my leadership, making it difficult to move the party forward,” Doguwa said.

He said that cruelty and inequity inside the party, fostered by the Kwankwasiyya leadership, had irritated many devoted members, driving their resignation.

Doguwa maintained that his group is still the official leadership of the NNPP in Kano, as acknowledged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in spite of the defeats. He affirmed that the NNPP is still “a credible and independent political platform” and denied rumors that his group was in talks with the APC.

In response to the growing distance between his side and the faction led by Kwankwaso, Doguwa stated that he was open to rapprochement but stressed that any attempts must be directed toward party reconstruction.

“We will soon call an emergency meeting to deliberate on the situation and take a clear position,” he said, adding that consultations were ongoing ahead of possible “alignments and realignments” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Regarding the APC defections, Doguwa stated that party flipping is a common occurrence in Nigerian politics. “Defections in politics are normal. Even prominent political figures across the country have changed parties over time,” he noted.

Ahead of the upcoming election cycle, the NNPP, which achieved substantial gains in Kano during the 2023 elections, is currently battling internal divisions that jeopardize its stability.

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