Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State and the New Nigeria People’s Party’s (NNPP) 2023 presidential candidate, has declared his immediate departure from the party.
In a statement dated March 29, 2026, Rabiu Kwankwaso revealed this information, stating that the decision was made in response to the necessity of a strategic political realignment given the changing political landscape of Nigeria.
He described the decision to leave the party as challenging and thanked the party for giving him the chance to be its National Leader and presidential contender in the 2023 general elections.
According to him, the current trajectory of the nation’s politics necessitated identifying with another political platform that offers a better opportunity to effectively pursue national change.
“I wish to formally announce my resignation from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) with immediate effect,” the statement read.
“As a committed and bona fide member of the party, this was not an easy decision to make. However, considering the current trajectory of the nation’s political landscape, which calls for strategic realignment, I have found it necessary to identify with another political platform that offers the best opportunity to effectively change the nation,” a statement he personally signed on Sunday partly read.
Recall that the Kwankwasiyya movement had on Sunday revealed that the former governor of Kano state was set to formally join the ADC on March 30.
Rabiu Kwankwaso gained notoriety through his grassroots-focused Kwankwasiyya Movement, which has been instrumental in influencing Kano’s election results.
Prior to leading the NNPP into the 2023 national elections and retaining considerable power in the North-West state, his political career saw him switch between major parties.
However, recent events revealed rifts in his political support due to alleged disagreements between Kwankwaso and Abba Kabir Yusuf, the governor of Kano State, who defected from the NNPP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kano govt official criticises Kwankwaso over NNPP exit
Meanwhile, Rabiu Kwankwaso has come under fire from Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Director-General of Media and Publicity in the Kano State Government House, for quitting the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Bature described Kwankwaso’s choice a betrayal of Mr. Boniface in a Facebook post on Sunday.
He claimed that the experience had taught him a valuable lesson in politics, pointing out that people talk about Kwankwaso’s betrayal because he left the NNPP rather than the Kwankwasiyya movement.
“We did not say we left the Kwankwasiyya movement or its ideas, and we have not stopped wearing the red cap,” he said.
He also added that it is now time to pray for Rabiu Kwankwaso, asserting that the former governor has betrayed himself by leaving the party.
