Ex-Kano gov, Kwankwaso dumps PDP for NNPP

Former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has finally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Kwankwaso had for long been making plans to defect from the PDP, following a disagreement over zoning in the main opposition party.

The former Kano governor, who was a presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, officially defected to the NNPP on Wednesday.

It was gathered that Kwankwaso was handed his NNPP membership card from his new party’s ward chairman in Abuja.

Kwankwaso on the occasion, urged Nigerians to join NNPP, his new party, to achieve the change they had been yearning for in the past seven years.

Explaining his reason for dumping the PDP, the former Kano governor said the main opposition party failed to give him due recognition as an important chieftain, adding that the irreconcilable differences between him and many other leaders of the party made his defection imperative.

He said at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, “We had a situation in April last year where zonal positions were being shared among the States and all leaders in the six other States were given the opportunity to nominate. But in Kano, some people felt I wasn’t that important, so they had to do what they did.

“That is what triggered the issue, (defection) and I spent almost a year now waiting for the PDP to talk to me, even the new leadership, to come and talk to me; they didn’t want to talk to me.”

The former minister of defence explained that in 2021 the PDP failed to carry him along in its affairs, adding that no leader of the party consulted him about the situation of things in the PDP for one year and when he even tried to contact them, he was rebuffed.

He said the ruling All Progressives Congress had failed to address the yearnings of Nigerians, adding that the people wanted positive change.

Kwankwaso added, “Today, those who are not certain about where I belong, will be very sure that I am already in NNPP.

“Politicians like my humble self are always open. In addition, there are ideological differences that we have with so many people, especially the leaders in PDP and even in the APC itself.”