Senator Rufai Sani Hanga, representing Kano Central, has ordered former New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) local government chairmen in his district to return vehicles provided to them for party activities, following their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The directive, issued via a formal letter, applies to chairmen in 15 local government areas and demands that the vehicles be handed over to the senator’s office between January 28 and 30.
The move comes after a mass defection last week that saw Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, state lawmakers, and all 44 LG chairmen join the APC. Critics have labelled the demand as punitive and unprecedented, with rival politician AA Zaura offering to replace the vehicles for the affected leaders.
Key Points:
The action establishes a precedent of reclaiming party assets from members who defect, treating the vehicles as conditional property rather than unconditional gifts.
It highlights the transactional and asset-based nature of political loyalty and mobilization within some party structures in Nigeria.
The senator’s move is seen as an attempt to assert control and impose a cost on defection, potentially to deter further erosion of the NNPP’s local structure.
The offer from rival AA Zaura to provide “better vehicles” intensifies the political rivalry and turns the incident into a public relations contest.
The situation underscores the high-stakes, zero-sum nature of political realignments in a key state like Kano, where control of resources is fiercely contested.
Conclusion: The vehicle recall order has escalated the political fallout from the mass defection, transforming a shift in allegiance into a public dispute over assets and revealing the material underpinnings of party politics.
Sources: Daily Trust, Premium Times, The Cable
Tags: Rufai Sani Hanga, NNPP, APC, Defection, Kano Politics, Party Assets, NB Digest