Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the House of Representatives and a prominent figure in the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has said that former Kano State governor and NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, remains open to joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Wednesday, Jibrin stated that discussions between Kwankwaso and President Bola Tinubu’s APC are ongoing and far from over.
“The doors have not closed. He has always maintained that his doors are open—and our doors are open—for discussions. Everything is a possibility,” Jibrin said.
Speculation about Kwankwaso’s possible defection to the APC has resurfaced as political realignments begin to take shape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, Jibrin hinted at internal opposition within the APC, especially in Kano State, where local political actors may be resistant to Kwankwaso’s entry due to personal ambitions.
“Even within the APC in Kano, you may have a situation where some vested interests won’t want us to come in,” he noted.
He described the Kwankwasiyya movement, led by Kwankwaso, as a formidable political force that cannot be ignored.
Jibrin, who represents the Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, recently met with President Tinubu, a development that fueled defection rumors. The NNPP, however, has clarified that Jibrin is not being sanctioned for the meeting.
While Jibrin stopped short of confirming his own defection to the APC, he left the door open.
“Well, I keep saying everything is a possibility,” he said, adding that while he remains a committed member of the Kwankwasiyya movement, he does not require Kwankwaso’s permission to make personal political decisions.
“No, at my age, I think I’m old enough to make decisions for myself.”
In the 2023 presidential election, Kwankwaso secured 1,496,687 votes, finishing fourth behind President Tinubu, who won with 8,794,726 votes.
Meanwhile, in July, NNPP’s Kano State Chairman, Hashimu Dungurawa, dismissed rumors linking Kwankwaso to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), affirming the former governor’s continued loyalty to the NNPP.
