Kwankwaso’s APC Defection Talks Collapse Over Sweeping Demands.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu Democracy Newsline on January 30, 2026.
Abuja — Efforts by former Kano State governor and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have stalled following what party insiders described as “excessive and untenable” conditions attached to the proposed move.
According to Democracy Newsline, negotiations hit a brick wall after Kwankwaso reportedly demanded control of 20 per cent of the APC’s national party structure, alongside the party’s vice-presidential ticket. Sources familiar with the talks said the requests went beyond routine power-sharing arrangements and raised concerns within the APC hierarchy.
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Beyond immediate concessions, Kwankwaso was also said to have sought iron-clad guarantees extending into the 2031 political cycle—an insistence senior party figures reportedly viewed as unrealistic and impractical within Nigeria’s evolving political landscape.
The impasse deepened as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration questioned Kwankwaso’s assertion of absolute control over Kano State’s political machinery. APC leaders, according to multiple sources, were unconvinced that such dominance could be assured, especially amid shifting alliances and the complex dynamics of Kano politics.
Party insiders disclosed that the cumulative demands proved to be a deal-breaker. In the aftermath, President Tinubu is said to have recalibrated his political strategy, opting instead to strengthen ties with Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf as part of broader efforts to consolidate influence in the North-West.
While neither Kwankwaso nor the APC has issued an official statement on the collapsed talks, developments suggest that the much-speculated defection is, for now, off the table.
Details will soon be made available.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 30TH 2026)
