Ilyasu Kwankwaso Cautions Tinubu Over Senator Kwankwaso’s Potential Defection to APC
Ilyasu Musa Kwankwaso, a former three-time Commissioner for Rural and Community Development in Kano State, has raised concerns over the potential defection of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He has urged President Bola Tinubu and other stakeholders within the APC to carefully consider the motives behind this move, suggesting it could lead to internal conflicts and disunity within the ruling party.
Ilyasu Kwankwaso claims that Senator Kwankwaso’s main interest in joining the APC is to advance his personal agenda and secure a second term for his political ally, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in the 2027 elections. While acknowledging Kwankwaso’s right to join the ruling party, Ilyasu cautioned the APC leadership about Kwankwaso’s history of political betrayal.
Speaking to the press in Kano, Ilyasu explained that Senator Kwankwaso, aware of factional divisions within the NNPP, may be seeking to defect to the APC to safeguard his political future and ensure that his faction remains relevant in the upcoming 2027 elections. He also implied that Kwankwaso’s motives may not be entirely altruistic, warning that he has a track record of abandoning alliances when it benefits him politically.
Ilyasu Kwankwaso recalled how Senator Kwankwaso has switched political affiliations in the past, notably aligning with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former President Goodluck Jonathan, only to betray them for his own political gain. He noted that in 2015, Kwankwaso played a pivotal role in the formation of the APC but later left the party for the PDP, only to abandon it again for the NNPP in 2023, which he claimed weakened Atiku’s chances in Kano.
Ilyasu also emphasized that Senator Kwankwaso’s political relationship with former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, had similarly soured, leading to Kwankwaso’s defection from the APC back to the PDP and later to the NNPP.
The former commissioner further warned President Tinubu that Kwankwaso’s defection could eventually lead to political discord, much like the issues he encountered with Ganduje. According to Ilyasu, the same dynamic that led to Kwankwaso’s departure from the APC and the PDP could occur again, potentially causing friction within the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
