Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, on Monday held a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, fuelling fresh political speculation over his future ahead of the 2027 elections.
The governor was sighted at the Villa at about 4:13 pm, dressed in his trademark flowing white babanriga and red Kwankwasiyya cap, as he made his way to the President’s office.
The high-level meeting comes amid persistent reports of Governor Yusuf’s possible defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that has reportedly been delayed several times since early January.
This visit marks Yusuf’s first known meeting with President Tinubu since the President returned from Abu Dhabi, where he attended the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Sources familiar with the ongoing political negotiations had earlier told The PUNCH that talks over the governor’s defection stalled after the APC leadership allegedly declined his request for a written guarantee of an automatic governorship ticket for the 2027 election.
The governor is also said to be seeking the authority to nominate a minister to represent Kano State in the Federal Executive Council, as well as the power to replace Kano-based federal appointees with individuals loyal to his administration.
These demands have reportedly put Yusuf at odds with influential APC figures in Kano, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who is believed to be nurturing governorship ambitions for 2027.
Despite the political uncertainty, Yusuf recently shared a video on his official Facebook page showing him presiding over the first Kano State Executive Council meeting of 2026 at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
Meanwhile, the planned defection has drawn sharp reactions from within the NNPP. Yusuf’s political mentor and party leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has openly described the move as a betrayal and warned that the governor could face political consequences in 2027.
Reports also suggest that Mustapha Kwankwaso, son of the NNPP leader, alongside other cabinet members loyal to Kwankwaso, have threatened to resign should Yusuf officially join the APC.
Adding to the intrigue, APC chieftain and lawmaker Alhassan Ado Doguwa claimed in a viral video that President Tinubu directed the suspension of the APC’s ongoing e-registration exercise in Kano until Governor Yusuf formally joins the party. According to Doguwa, the President wants Yusuf to be the first to register once the process resumes.
Earlier this month, President Tinubu publicly praised the Kano governor while celebrating his 63rd birthday, commending his leadership style and developmental strides in the state.
The President highlighted Yusuf’s infrastructural initiatives, including urban renewal projects, bridge construction, and the development of five-kilometre roads across all local government areas. He also applauded improvements in the education sector, noting that the governor’s declaration of an emergency in education had led to better performance by Kano students in NECO examinations.
Describing Kano as “the bastion of progressive politics in the North,” Tinubu said Yusuf’s administration reflects a renewed commitment to grassroots development and the welfare of the talakawa, in the tradition of the late Mallam Aminu Kano.
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