National leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared January 23 as “World Betrayal Day” in reaction to the resignation of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from the party.
Kwankwaso announced the declaration while addressing supporters at his Miller Road residence in Kano, amid political fallout triggered by Yusuf’s exit from the NNPP and his planned defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“There was a post suggesting that January 23 should be declared World Betrayal Day,”…… “As the leader of this movement, I support it. We will now commemorate that day everywhere.
Rabiu kwankwaso
Speaking in Hausa, the former governor said the idea originated from discussions circulating on social media, where supporters proposed January 23 as a symbolic day to mark acts of political betrayal within the movement.
“There was a post suggesting that January 23 should be declared World Betrayal Day,” Kwankwaso told supporters. “As the leader of this movement, I support it. We will now commemorate that day everywhere.”
Governor Yusuf formally resigned from the NNPP on January 23, citing what he described as deepening internal crises and prolonged leadership disputes within the party. His decision was followed by the exit of several elected officials, including local government chairmen, state lawmakers and federal legislators from Kano State.
Kwankwaso, who played a central role in Yusuf’s emergence as governor in the 2023 elections through the Kwankwasiyya political movement, urged his supporters to remain loyal despite the defections.
Addressing the crowd, he appealed for perseverance and ideological commitment, warning against what he characterised as attempts to weaken the movement through financial inducements.
“Be strong and persevere,” he said. “We need people who are progressive in their ideology, not those who will abandon the cause for money.”
The declaration of World Betrayal Day adds a symbolic dimension to the growing rift within the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya movement, as political alignments in Kano continue to shift ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This is IDNN. Independent. Digital. Uncompromising.