The Kano State chapter of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has said Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is free to leave the party, provided he first tenders a formal resignation in line with party rules.
The state chairman of the NNPP, Senator Elmasud Doguwa, stated this on Tuesday while addressing a press conference in Kano, amid growing speculation that the governor may defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Doguwa said the party had no intention of forcing the governor to remain under its platform if he no longer wished to do so, but insisted that due process must be followed.
“The New Nigeria People’s Party has no problem if Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf decides to leave the party,” Doguwa said.
“However, he must formally tender his resignation in writing to the legally recognised NNPP before joining any other political party.”
He stressed that Governor Yusuf, who was elected on the NNPP platform in 2023, remains a bona fide member of the party.
“Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is still a bona fide member of the NNPP, the party with a basket of fruits as its logo. We respect him as our governor and as a member of our party. But if he chooses to leave, he has the legal right to do so. What we are insisting on is that he must formally tender his resignation to the party, which we are yet to receive,” he said.
Doguwa noted that while political party membership is an individual choice, such decisions must comply with established party rules and regulations.
He further warned that failure to follow the proper resignation process could have legal implications, particularly in light of ongoing litigations over the party’s leadership.
“With the judgments already delivered by three courts, if Governor Yusuf decides to defect without resigning through the bona fide NNPP, it may not go without consequences if the final judgment of the Supreme Court is eventually in our favour,” Doguwa said.
The NNPP chairman maintained that the current party leadership in Kano remains the legitimate authority based on existing court judgments and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to respect and enforce those rulings.
“We are calling on INEC to respect all the judgments delivered by the courts last year on this matter,” he added.
