THE power structure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano have taken a dramatic turn following what party insiders described as an underwhelming turnout at Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s high-profile reception rally held on February 16.
The development has led to a significant revision of the power-sharing arrangement within the party’s state structure, a move that underscores the delicate balance of forces between established APC figures and the governor’s bloc.
The rally, which was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, and several governors, was widely expected to signal a massive consolidation of political forces in Kano.
Party leaders in Abuja had reportedly anticipated a sweeping influx of Kwankwasiyya supporters into the APC fold following the governor’s defection, alongside lawmakers, commissioners, and all 44 local government chairmen in the state.
However, insiders say the optics told a different story.
According to multiple party sources, it was largely the traditional APC structure in Kano rather than new entrants from the Kwankwasiyya movement that mobilised the bulk of attendees at the rally.
“We believed the movement’s grassroots base would shift automatically once the political office holders moved,” a senior party source said. “But it became clear that the core supporters remain loyal to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.”
Prior to the rally, the APC national headquarters had reportedly approved a 60–40 formula for sharing ward and local government party structures in favour of Governor Yusuf during the congresses.
Under that arrangement, the governor’s bloc was to control 60 percent of the party structure, while the Ganduje–Barau camp would hold 40 percent.
However, in a fresh directive issued from Abuja on Friday, the earlier formula was revised to an equal 50–50 sharing framework between the governor’s camp and the Ganduje–Barau bloc.
“It is now 50–50. That is the latest directive from the national headquarters,” a party insider confirmed.
Sources say the decision followed dissatisfaction among top APC leaders in Abuja over the perceived strength of the grassroots base aligned with traditional APC power brokers in Kano.
The opposing camp, led by former Kano governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, had earlier constituted a seven-man harmonisation committee headed by Senator Jibrin to negotiate structural balance within the state chapter.
In its earlier deliberations before the new Abuja directive, the committee proposed that traditional APC leaders retain control of the 14 local government areas won by the party in the 2023 elections, with the exception of Tudun Wada Local Government.
The exclusion of Tudun Wada, however, deepened internal tensions.
A member representing Tudun Wada/Doguwa Federal Constituency, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, publicly criticised Senator Kawu Sumaila over what he described as an arrangement that sidelined his political interests.
Despite the 50–50 directive from Abuja, party insiders revealed that local stakeholders sought a practical workaround during a high-level meeting at the Kano Government House on Sunday night.
Given that local government executive committees consist of 27 members, an odd number that makes exact parity impossible leaders reportedly agreed on a 14–13 distribution.
Under the arrangement, Governor Yusuf’s camp secured 14 executive positions, while the Ganduje–Barau bloc received 13 effectively creating a 51–49 split in favour of the governor.
Sources described the compromise as a pragmatic solution designed to prevent further escalation of factional tensions while respecting the spirit of Abuja’s directive.
A source in the APC headquarters told News Point Nigeria that the national leadership’s reversal of the earlier 60–40 formula came after consultations at the highest level, including reported approval by President Bola Tinubu.
“Notwithstanding the governor’s earlier magnanimity in conceding 60 percent control in some local governments to traditional APC elements, Abuja concluded that equal structural strength was necessary because the grassroots followership of the traditional bloc remains stronger,” the source familiar with the deliberations stated.
The new 50–50 framework and the practical 51–49 compromise may temporarily ease tensions within the Kano APC.
However, sources told this newspaper that the uneasy alliance between the governor’s camp and the Ganduje–Barau faction remains delicate and Governor Yusuf is not too comfortable with the new arrangement.
Efforts to obtain official reaction from APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
For now, Kano APC appears to have struck a tentative truce but whether it will endure future electoral tests or dissolve into deeper factional fractures remains to be seen.