No fewer than 21 members of the Kano State House of Assembly have officially defected from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers announced their decision on Monday, days after about 774 NNPP members reportedly crossed over to the APC in Rimin Gado Local Government Area of the state.
The wave of defections follows the resignation of Governor Abba Yusuf from the NNPP, a move he attributed to prolonged internal conflicts and legal battles that, according to him, have undermined the party’s unity across the country. The governor is expected to formally join the APC on Monday.
Among the defecting lawmakers are the Speaker of the Assembly, Jibril Ismail Falgore (Rogo); Deputy Speaker, Muhammad Bello Butu Butu (Tofa/Rimin Gado); Majority Leader, Lawan Hussain (Dala); Deputy Majority Leader, Garba Shehu Fammar (Kibiya); Chief Whip, Muddasir Ibrahim Zawachiki (Kumbotso); and Majority Whip, Zakariyya Abdullahi Nuhu (Gabasawa).
Other lawmakers who joined the APC include Lawal Tini (Ajingi), Musa Tahir Haruna (Albasu), Ali Lawan Alhassan (Bagwai/Shanono), Ali Muhammad Tiga (Bebeji), Hafiz Gambo (Bunkure), Rabiu Shuaibu (Dawakin Kudu), Tukur Mohammed (Fagge), and Murtala Muhammad Kadage (Garko).
Also on the list are Abdulmajid Isah Umar (Gwale), Engr. Ahmad Ibrahim (Karaye), Alhassan Zakari (Kura/Garun Malam), Suleiman Mukhtar Ishaq (Madobi), Abdulhamid Abdul (Minjibir), Muhammad Ibrahim (Rano), Kabiru Sule Dahiru (Tarauni), and Ali Abdullahi Manager (Wudil).