The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has lashed out at Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf following his resignation from the party, describing the move as a shocking betrayal of the movement that brought him to power.
Speaking to supporters at his residence along Miller Road in Kano, NNPP national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, announced that January 23 would now be set aside within the party as “World Betrayal Day,” a symbolic date meant to reflect what he called an unforgettable act of disloyalty.
According to Kwankwaso, the idea was inspired by comments he encountered on social media after news of Yusuf’s exit broke.
“None caught my attention more than one who posted, suggesting that we declare January 23 annually as World Betrayal Day.
“Therefore, as the leader and grand patron of this movement, I hereby declare that I fully support the declaration.”
He added that the day would be marked every year with special activities to remind members of the circumstances surrounding the governor’s departure.
The governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, had earlier confirmed Yusuf’s resignation from the NNPP in a statement released on Friday.
Reacting, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, said the NNPP received the news with deep pain and disappointment, insisting that claims of an irredeemable crisis within the party were unfounded.
“We deeply regret that Governor Abba, a man entrusted by the people of Kano State on the strength of his decades of unwavering loyalty and dedicated service to the Kwankwasiyya Movement, has now chosen to betray that sacred trust. By this action, he risks returning the state to the very forces that have long opposed its progress and the aspirations of its people.
“It is noteworthy that our party, the NNPP, had recently conducted congresses for its leadership from the ward to the national convention, held on December 20, 2025, at which the governor himself was present, and INEC had supervised.
“The party had also participated and won in two supplementary elections for Bagwai/Shanono and Ghari/Tsanyawa constituency, respectively held in August 2025, about three months ago. The assertion he made of an irredeemable crisis in the party is therefore baseless and an afterthought.”
The NNPP also drew parallels with Kano’s political past, recalling how a similar defection in the early 1980s ended in electoral defeat.
“Yet, the electorate delivered a resounding verdict: In the 1983 gubernatorial election, Rimi was humiliatingly defeated by Mallam Aliyu Sabo Bakin Zuwo of the PRP, finishing second. Even more telling, of the 120 state assembly members who joined Rimi’s defection, only one was re-elected, an outcome that should serve as a sobering lesson to any politician contemplating the path of disloyalty.
“While this development is deeply disturbing and painful for all who have invested in the Kwankwasiyya vision, we urge the 1,019,602 people who cast their votes for his election, as well as the good people of Kano State and Nigeria, to remain calm, patient, and restrained. Let us not descend into acrimony or division.
“History has consistently shown that those who trade loyalty for expediency, and honour for deceit, rarely escape the judgment of the people. The truth endures, and the loyalty of Kano’s masses to principled leadership will ultimately prevail.”