Three former National Officers of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have described the defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, as the most difficult yet strategically necessary decision of his political career.
In a joint statement issued on Sunday, former National Chairman, Prof. Ahmed Rufai Alkali; former National Organising Secretary, Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi; and former National Legal Adviser, Prof. Ben Angwe said the governor’s exit from the party was long anticipated.
According to them, it was never a question of whether Yusuf would leave the NNPP, but rather the exact time.
They argued that the governor acted as a pragmatic politician who refused to be constrained by what they described as a deteriorating internal structure, merely to satisfy the sentimental expectations of political mentors and opportunists.
In the statement titled “We Have Been Vindicated,” the trio—who exited the party before the current crisis—said the unfolding turmoil within the NNPP was a development they had foreseen long ago.
The statement read, “In politics, we have learnt loyalty is often praised, but foresight is rarely celebrated until it is proven right. Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf’s decision to exit the NNPP and align with the APC has triggered predictable outrage, undiluted anger and a crisis of denial among those who mistook noise for wisdom.
“Yet, stripped all emotions and pretentions, the move was neither sudden nor surprising. It was not only inevitable, but it was inevitably inevitable. As always in life, some decisions test character, others test courage, but Governor Kabir Yusuf’s move tested both.
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“For those of us who were privileged to have been witnesses to the long uncertain and often chaotic situations leading to the build-up to the 2023 elections, the Implosion of the Kano faction of the NNPP was never a matter of if, but when.
“To all discerning minds and close watchers of the dynamics of politics, the warning signs were everywhere. A party built more on sentiments than realities, in personalities rather than institutions, and on personal loyalty instead of legitimate organisational discipline will hardly escape from internal crisis and conflicts. Indeed, such fragile artificial and ad-hoc arrangements do not endure. Certainly, they do not last long. They expire and they explode, often with a bang.
“Governor Kabir Yusuf chose not to wait for the expiry date because the expired date was already very near. The unfolding crisis today is therefore not just a fallout, it is a confirmation. Not surprisingly, critics have framed the decision as betrayal. That is the lazy language of some selfish politicians. In truth, what we are witnessing is something unique and rare. A politician refusing to be trapped by a collapsing internal disorder, simply to satisfy the romantic expectations of mentors and political merchants.
“While others were busy managing and massaging egos and firefighting internal rebellions, the governor was reading the balance sheet of political reality. Unfortunately, often tim s, reality is unforgiving.
“Today, the very party Abba Yusuf left is engulfed in open conflict -court room litigations, factional declarations and advertised confusion over party legitimacy. This is not an external conspiracy, it is the natural consequence of unresolved contradictions demanding serious attentions, but we’re ignored for too long. The crisis did not begin with the governor’s exit. To the contrary, it was the political wind that blew open it’s pretentious cover.
“In the circumstance, Governor Abba’s decision was not an act of abandonment, but if self preservation and more importantly, of the obligation for him to fulfil his mandate. Kano state cannot afford cannot afford a distracted leader held hostage to endless validation and internal quarrels.
“The good people of Kano state deserve and demand a leadership, a good leadership for that matter which requires oxygen, not suffocation by insatiable personal selfish interests.
“Political realignments are common in Nigeria. What distinguishes Abba’s move to others is timing. The Governor did not move in panic, not in fear, not in desperation. Rather, he moved while he still had leverage, clarity of mind and the much needed momentum to drive the process through to it’s logical conclusion. That is not weakness. That is strategy.
“From all that has been filtering from Kano state, history is already leaning in his favour. Already, as events unfold, the narrative is shifting from outrage to reluctant acknowledgement, to the redefinition of loyalty in his side.
“One question many followers of Kano politics are asking quietly is kit why did Abba leave now, but how long could he have realistically stayed and survived in the furnace? Students of realpolitik will tell you that vindication of real politics rarely arrives with applause. It arrives with facts, irrefutable facts and that facts are always stubborn, to the utter dismay of rejectionists.
“Governor Kabir Yusuf made what was arguably the most difficult decision of his political life and very likely, the most consequential decision too. Governor Kabir Yusuf ‘s political realignment was difficult, but his choice of APC was difficult, but his choice of APC was necessary and logical.
“What is unfolding now confirms what some of us already knew would happen, just a question of time and the time has come. This was never about betrayal, it was about foresight and foresight is one of the rare hallmark of good leadership.
“But if some people’s out of sentiments and selfish interests still feel it’s is a betrayal, then they should be reminded that a good student must learn from his teacher and a good mentee must learn from his mentor or as they say in Latin, Quorn seminas id metes.”
