Kano NDC begs senator not to dump party for APC

Hussaini Mairiga, the Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State, has publicly appealed to the party's sole senator, Rufai Hanga, to remain with the NDC amid speculation that he and former Senator Kabiru Gaya are planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mairiga stated in an interview that both politicians are still prominent members of the NDC and have not submitted any formal resignation letters to him as the state chairman. He insisted that, as of Tuesday, they remain members of the NDC.

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As of today, none of them has submitted a resignation letter to me as the state chairman. They are still members of our party.

The appeal comes as growing speculation surrounds the political future of Hanga and Gaya, fueled by recent high-profile meetings with APC leaders. Both politicians were part of a delegation that met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Sunday, a delegation led by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. They have also held separate meetings with the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, intensifying reports of an imminent move to the ruling party before the 2027 general elections.

These rumors follow recent internal developments within the NDC. Hanga reportedly lost the party's consensus ticket for the 2027 Kano Central Senatorial District to former Deputy Governor Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna. Similarly, Gaya is said to have lost the consensus ticket for Kano South. Political observers suggest these setbacks may have contributed to the defection rumors. Mairiga alleged that the APC is actively trying to recruit the duo, identifying former APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the mastermind behind these efforts. Despite the meetings and speculation, neither Hanga nor Gaya has publicly announced plans to leave the NDC, and the party maintains they are still members.

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They are not the ones pursuing the APC. It is the APC that is pursuing them. Ganduje is the mastermind of what is happening, but we are still together with them in the NDC.