ABUJA, Nigeria — The factional leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has said Rabiu Kwankwaso, its 2023 presidential candidate, is free to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing his potential departure as “good riddance”.
In a statement issued on Sunday, June 29, 2025, factional spokesperson Oginni Olaposi accused the former Kano governor of attempting to hijack the party and dragging it into years of avoidable legal battles.
“Kwankwaso still insists he is a member of our party even after his expulsion for alleged anti-party activities,” the statement read.
“Kwankwaso did not only try to hijack the NNPP, but also made the party go through avoidable litigations.”
Olaposi’s comments follow renewed speculation that Kwankwaso may be negotiating a return to the APC after the resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje as APC National Chairman on Friday, June 27, 2027.
Both men, once political allies, have since become entrenched rivals, particularly over control of Kano’s political structure.
Since the conclusion of the 2023 general elections, the NNPP has been embroiled in a protracted leadership crisis.
While Agbo Major and Ajuji Ahmed both claim to lead the party as national chairman, Kwankwaso and Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf back the Ajuji-led faction.
Kwankwaso was suspended in 2023 by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), chaired by founder Dr Boniface Aniebonam, who later appointed Major as chairman.
The internal rift deepened over allegations that Kwankwaso had sidelined the party’s original leadership and rebranded the party’s identity to reflect his own Kwankwasiya movement.
“The NNPP logo that he changed to the Kwankwasiya Movement logo has just been changed to our logo by INEC, after years of controversy and litigations,” Olaposi said.
Ganduje’s resignation as APC chairman has triggered rumours of a behind-the-scenes deal to pave way for Kwankwaso’s entry into the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Olaposi, however, expressed scepticism over such reports, noting conflicting signals from Kwankwaso’s camp.
“We have reasons to doubt the ongoing propaganda that Ganduje left APC to enable an alleged negotiated arrangement with Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 presidential election,” he said.
He also referenced Ganduje’s past comments that the APC would welcome back defectors, adding further weight to the speculation of reconciliation between the two Kano politicians.
“We find it difficult to believe that Kwankwaso, who is still struggling to hijack the NNPP, is also negotiating to join the ruling party,” the NNPP spokesperson added.
The Major-led NNPP faction accused Kwankwaso of betraying the trust of the party’s founding members, including Aniebonam, who supported his 2023 candidacy.
“Kwankwaso betrayed our trust in him by trying to hijack the party from its founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, who facilitated his free ticket for the 2023 presidential election,” the statement read.
The internal wrangling has left the NNPP fractured, with parallel party structures operating across states and at the national level.
