The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has firmly rejected reports suggesting that its national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, entered into negotiations to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing such claims as unfounded and deliberately misleading.
The party said Kwankwaso neither discussed defection with President Bola Tinubu nor made any demands to the ruling party, contrary to speculation circulating in political circles.
The clarification followed recent commentary triggered by the defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, to the APC, which fuelled reports of an alleged fallout between the NNPP and Kwankwaso. Some narratives had claimed that the former Kano governor overestimated his political leverage while exploring a possible return to the APC.
Speaking on a television programme, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Global Investment and Trade Company, Baba Yusuf, had argued that Kwankwaso “overreached” himself in what he described as negotiations with the ruling party.
However, the NNPP swiftly moved to counter the narrative. Its National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, said the reports were a fabrication aimed at weakening Kwankwaso’s standing within the opposition.
According to him, the party leader never contemplated leaving the NNPP for the APC and never held talks with President Tinubu on such a move.
Johnson explained that the last meeting between Kwankwaso and the President took place in 2024 and was devoid of any discussion on party realignment or defection.
He accused unnamed political interests of sponsoring the reports to tarnish Kwankwaso’s image and frustrate efforts to build a broad opposition coalition ahead of future electoral contests.
Johnson stressed that Kwankwaso remains committed to principled politics and public interest, insisting that the former senator’s political decisions have always been guided by integrity and long-term national considerations.
The NNPP, he added, remains focused on consolidating its structures and strengthening its role as a viable opposition platform, warning against what it described as speculative narratives designed to distract from substantive political engagement.
