The vice presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has reportedly threatened to dump the party following the rejection and subsequent replacement of the Kano State candidates’ list submitted by his Kwankwasiyya bloc within the party.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the internal crisis boiling within the party worsened after the Kano State chapter of the NDC altered the list to enforce a strict 60/40 power-sharing formula between the Kwankwasiyya bloc and the original party structure.
A document signed by the Kano State NDC Chairman, Hon. Hussaini Isah Mairiga, confirmed that the adjustments were necessary to correct an alleged breach of the agreement regarding elective tickets and party positions, where Kwankwaso’s camp was allotted 60 percent while the pioneer structure retained 40 percent.
The revised list, which has been copied to the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, and the North-West Zonal Chairman, replaced several Kwankwasiyya loyalists with alternative candidates across key federal and state constituencies.
For the Federal House of Representatives, the party approved Barrister Isma’il Idris Sani for Kumbotso, Nasiru Ali Ahmed for Nassarawa, Kabiru Ishaq Sa’id for Kano Municipal, Barrister Dayyabu Jamilu Ibrahim for Doguwa/Tudun Wada, Muhammad Hamisu Abubakar for Dawakin Tofa/Rimin Gado/Tofa, Ibrahim Bashir Bango for Sumaila/Takai, and Abdulmajid Isa Umar Mairigar Fata for Gwale, alongside further adjustments in the State House of Assembly tickets for Dala, Tarauni, Kumbotso, Ungogo, and Dawakin Kudu.
Kano NDC spokesperson, Ibrahim Waya, revealed that Senator Dickson directly instructed Kwankwaso to implement the agreed sharing formula, sparking reactions from the Kwankwasiyya camp who view the move as a setback, while pioneer members accuse the faction of attempting to hijack the state structure.
This friction comes just weeks after Rabiu Kwankwaso and Peter Obi defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the NDC, emerging as the vice-presidential and presidential flagbearers respectively for the 2027 elections.
Recall that the NDC National Executive Committee (NEC) following its second national meeting recently, declared party supremacy and rejected running as a personality-driven movement or a temporary electoral tool.
According to a statement on Sunday night signed by National Publicity Secretary Osa Director, the party ordered all affiliated support groups to operate strictly under party supervision and mandated elected officials to consult party structures on policies and appointments.