Kwankwaso Declares January 23 As ‘World Betrayal Day’ Following Kano Governor’s Defection
The National Leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared January 23 as “World Betrayal Day” in response to the exit of his protege, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from his political camp.
Before January 23, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is considered to be a core loyalist of the Kwankwasiyya ideology, the political movement of Kwankwaso.
He however dumped the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, the party on whose platform he became Kano State Governor.
Yusuf is expected to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is populated by Kwankwaso’s arch political rivals.
While addressing his loyalists at his Miller Road residence in Kano, Kwankwaso made reference to January 23, saying the idea of adopting the day as such was inspired by social media commentators who described the governor’s NNPP exit as an act of betrayal.
He said, “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 said.
Kwankwaso added that the day would henceforth be marked with special events to remind members of what transpired.
Daily Trust had reported how Governor Yusuf announced his defection on Friday, citing deepening internal crisis and leadership disputes within the NNPP.
While his supporters celebrated the move as a strategic alignment with the Federal Government, Kwankwaso’s loyalists described it as a betrayal that has heightened political uncertainty in the state.
APC supporters, on the other hand, see the defection as a boost to their dominance in Kano politics.
Kwankwaso and Yusuf have shared a longstanding, deep-rooted political relationship spanning over three decades, with Yusuf acting as a protégé, loyalist, and former personal aide to the former Governor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement.
Their partnership, often described as a godfather-godson dynamic, saw Yusuf rise from a personal assistant to Kwankwaso, and prompted by the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement to emerge as the Governor of Kano State in 2019.
Before then, Abba Kabir Yusuf had served under Kwankwaso in various capacities, including Personal Assistant during Kwankwaso’s first term as Governor and as Nigeria’s Defence Minister. He also served as Principal Private Secretary, and later as Commissioner for Works, Housing, and Transport from 2011 to 2015.
This relationship, however, ended on January 23, when Yusuf dumped the Kwankwasiyya Movement and its political platform, the News Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and join forces with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s arch political rivals.
