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Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State governor and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has strongly criticised politicians who defect from the party after securing electoral victories, describing such actions as the “greatest political sin.”
Speaking in Kano on Saturday during a reception for new NNPP members from Takai Local Government Area, Kwankwaso said defection after winning on a party’s platform is a betrayal that undermines democracy and betrays the trust of the masses.
Kwankwaso, also the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, accused defectors of turning their backs on the very people who voted for them in the hope of progressive change. “This is the highest form of betrayal in a democratic setting. I don’t know of any greater political sin than when vulnerable people vote for you—rejecting deceivers and enemies of progress—and you turn around to join those same enemies after winning,” he said. “Had the people known, they wouldn’t have voted for you.”
He further warned politicians not to attack the Kwankwasiyya ideology, describing the movement as a force that will resist attempts to undermine it.
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“Fighting the Kwankwasiyya movement is a grave mistake. One may not understand until he engages in that fight—and then he’ll realise how tough it is to battle a solid wall,” he said.
Kwankwaso also referenced the NNPP’s strength in Kano, despite vote-buying in other parts of the state. “Even what happened in Kano South should be taken as a lesson. Some people collected spaghetti and ₦2,000 to elect someone. But in Kano, the poor stood firm,” he added.
His comments come as the NNPP continues to lose members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Among those who recently defected are Yusuf Galambi, a House of Representatives member, and Senator Kawu Sumaila, who both cited internal party issues and new political alignments as reasons for their decisions.
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