APC Gains Ground In Kano With Defection Of Hanga, Gaya, Doguwa, 136,000 Others
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State on Saturday received former senators Rufa’i Sani Hanga and Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) “Fruit Faction”, Senator Mas’ud El-Jibrin Doguwa, and 136,038 others into its fold.
The defectors were received during the unveiling of the President Bola Tinubu campaign groups in Kano ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Other prominent politicians who joined the APC included the Deputy Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State, Hon Ali Datti Yako, alongside other members of the party’s state executive committee.
Also among the defectors were former Chairman of Ungogo Local Government Area, Hon Badaru Umar, and members of the political camp of the 2023 APC governorship candidate in Kano, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.
Former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Isyaku Ali Danja, also joined the ruling party with his supporters.
Others among those who defected were former PDP deputy governorship candidate, Hon Yusuf Bello Danbatta, and his supporters, as well as former Special Adviser to the President, Senator Baraka Sani.
The NNPP chairman of the “Book Faction”, Hon Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya, was also among the new APC members.
Former NNPP senatorial candidate, Senator Abdulmajid Dauda Dandawaki, joined the party with his supporters, while Hon Kabiru Adamu Kofar Ruwa, an NDC candidate for the State House of Assembly, also defected with his supporters.
The development further deepens the ongoing political realignment in Kano ahead of the 2027 elections, with several prominent politicians and groups moving into the APC in recent months.
The mass defection is expected to strengthen the ruling party’s political structure in the state as it intensifies preparations for the presidential, governorship and National Assembly elections.
The APC has recently witnessed the movement of several political figures from opposition parties, particularly the NNPP, following Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s defection to the ruling party.
The governor’s move to the APC has also been followed by the defection of several lawmakers and political appointees, further altering the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
