From Turbulence to Traction: Why Governor AKY’s APC Shift Could Reset Kano’s Politics

From Turbulence to Traction: Why Governor AKY’s APC Shift Could Reset Kano’s Politics

For decades, Kano politics has been a theatre of perpetual motion—loud, crowded and endlessly combative. Elections came and went, governments changed, yet the underlying rhythm remained the same: tension over stability, politics over policy and survival over strategy. 

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s (AKY) alignment with the All Progressives Congress (APC) may well mark the first decisive break from that cycle. This is not merely a political realignment; it is an appointment with history.

Kano’s greatest paradox has always been its strength. As Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre of the North, blessed with population, enterprise, culture and talent, the state should have been miles ahead. Instead, political fragmentation has repeatedly turned energy into friction.

Governments spent too much time fighting for legitimacy and too little time governing for growth. AKY’s move into the APC, aligning Kano with the party at the centre, directly confronts this structural weakness. Stability, in politics, is not the absence of opposition; it is the presence of predictable cooperation. By collapsing the wall between Kano Government House and the federal power structure, AKY has altered the incentives of politics itself. Conflict now comes at a higher cost, while collaboration suddenly pays dividends. This alone recalibrates the political atmosphere—from constant brinkmanship to cautious consensus.

More importantly, the alignment repositions Kano within Nigeria’s national development conversation. Infrastructure, security coordination, industrial policy, power projects, rail connectivity and urban renewal are no longer distant lobbying points; they become shared responsibilities. A governor operating within the same political framework as the presidency gains not just access, but influence. For a state as large and complex as Kano, that influence is oxygen.

Critics may frame the move as opportunism.

History, however, judges outcomes—not slogans. Kano’s politics has tried purity and paid the price in paralysis. What AKY appears to be betting on instead is effectiveness.

The APC platform offers a wider governing coalition, deeper institutional reach and a pathway to long-term policy continuity beyond electoral cycles. In a state fatigued by political drama, continuity itself becomes a reform.

There is also a quieter, but more profound implication. AKY’s alignment sends a signal to Kano’s political class that the era of perpetual antagonism may be ending. When the governor chooses convergence over confrontation, the tone of politics changes from the top down. Investors notice. Civil servants recalibrate. Politics stops being war by other means and starts resembling governance.

History is unkind to leaders who merely occupy office. It is far kinder to those who recognise defining moments and act decisively. AKY’s alignment with the APC is such a moment—a calculated risk, yes, but also a strategic correction long overdue. If managed with discipline, inclusiveness and a relentless focus on delivery, this decision could stabilise Kano politics for a generation and unlock progress that has been promised for decades but postponed by discord.

Kano has waited long enough. History has finally knocked—and this time, the door appears to be opening.

Barrister Aminu Hussaini – is the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kano State on Justice/Constitutional Matters- 234 8033  742424, aminuhussaini173@gmail.com