The Boniface Aniebonam-led faction of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, has urged Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to formally resign from the party if he intends to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The faction’s Kano State Chairman, Senator Masu’d el Jilbreen Doguwa, made the call on Tuesday while addressing journalists during a press conference in Kano.

Doguwa said Governor Yusuf remains a bonafide member of the NNPP, stressing that the party has not received any official letter indicating his resignation.

“Abba Kabir Yusuf is still a member of the NNPP, and as party members, we owe him respect. However, if he intends to defect to another party, he must follow due process,” Doguwa said.

“He should formally submit a resignation letter to the NNPP chairman at his ward level, which we are yet to receive.”

Doguwa also reiterated that former Kano State Governor and NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is not the national leader of the party.

He cited three court judgments delivered in their favour on the ownership and leadership of the NNPP, including rulings by Justice M.A. Hassan of the Abuja High Court, Justice Bello Kawu of the Abuja High Court, and Justice C.U. Okoroafor of the Abia High Court.

According to Doguwa, Kwankwaso ceased to be a major stakeholder in the party after the 2023 general elections, during which he contested as the NNPP’s presidential candidate.

He added that the NNPP in Kano State remains open to members who wish to retain their membership on an individual basis, but would not accept those seeking to operate within the party under the banner of the Kwankwasiyya Movement.