A major political shake-up has hit Kano State as 21 members of the House of Assembly, including Speaker Jibril Ismail Falgore, resigned their membership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, dealing a heavy blow to the party’s strength in the state.
The Kano State House of Assembly confirmed the defections on Saturday evening, releasing the names of the affected lawmakers shortly after Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf formally quit the NNPP. The disclosure was made in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary of the House, Kamaluddeen Sani Shawai.
According to the statement, those who exited the party alongside the governor include the Deputy Speaker, Muhammad Bello Butu Butu, the Majority Leader, Lawan Hussain, the Deputy Majority Leader, Garba Shehu Fammar, and the Chief Whip, Muddasir Ibrahim Zawachiki. Several other lawmakers from constituencies spread across the state were also listed.
The Assembly said the defections cut across key constituencies including Ajingi, Albasu, Bagwai and Shanono, Bebeji, Bunkure, Dawakin Kudu, Fagge, Gabasawa, Garko, Gwale, Karaye, Kura and Garun Malam, Madobi, Minjibir, Rano, Tarauni and Wudil. In total, 22 members of the House were said to have resigned from the NNPP.
“The House of Assembly has verified and authenticated the list of members who have resigned their membership of the NNPP,” the statement said, adding that the announcement was made to properly inform the public and clarify the political standing of the affected lawmakers following the governor’s decision.
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Governor Yusuf had on Friday announced his resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, blaming persistent internal crises and citing the need to safeguard the wider interests of Kano residents. His exit appears to have triggered a wave of political realignment across the state.
Beyond the Assembly, the governor was reported to have left the party alongside 21 state lawmakers, eight members of the House of Representatives, and all 44 local government council chairmen in Kano State, signalling one of the largest coordinated defections in the state’s recent political history.
The development is widely seen as a serious setback for the NNPP in Kano, a state where the party has enjoyed significant influence. Observers expect further defections as political office holders align themselves with the governor’s new direction.
Already, senior government officials have begun to follow suit. The Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Dahiru Muhammad Hashim, is among those who have publicly announced their resignation from the NNPP, with effect from Friday, January 23, 2026.
As uncertainty grows over the party’s future in Kano, attention is now turning to the destination of the defecting lawmakers and the wider implications for the state’s political balance ahead of upcoming contests.
