The Vice Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is reportedly considering leaving the party following the rejection and replacement of a Kano State candidates’ list submitted by his Kwankwasiyya bloc.
The development is the latest twist in an internal crisis that has been brewing within the party’s Kano chapter.
According to reports, the crisis intensified after the Kano State leadership of the NDC revised the candidates’ list to enforce a previously agreed 60/40 power-sharing arrangement between the Kwankwasiyya bloc and the party’s original structure.
A document signed by the Kano State NDC Chairman, Hon. Hussaini Isah Mairiga, stated that the adjustments were made to address what the party described as a breach of the agreement on the allocation of elective positions and party offices. Under the arrangement, the Kwankwasiyya bloc was allocated 60 per cent of positions, while the pioneer party structure retained 40 per cent.
The revised list, which was copied to the party’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, and the North-West Zonal Chairman, reportedly replaced several candidates loyal to Kwankwaso across key federal and state constituencies.
The affected positions include House of Representatives tickets in constituencies such as Kumbotso, Nassarawa, Kano Municipal, Doguwa/Tudun Wada, Dawakin Tofa/Rimin Gado/Tofa, Sumaila/Takai, and Gwale. Adjustments were also made to State House of Assembly tickets in Dala, Tarauni, Kumbotso, Ungogo, and Dawakin Kudu.
Speaking on the development, Kano NDC spokesperson Ibrahim Waya said Senator Dickson directed that the agreed power-sharing formula be strictly implemented.
The decision has reportedly triggered discontent within the Kwankwasiyya camp, which views the move as a setback, while members of the party’s pioneer structure accuse the faction of attempting to dominate the state chapter.
The dispute comes just weeks after Kwankwaso and Peter Obi joined the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), emerging as the party’s vice-presidential and presidential candidates, respectively, for the 2027 general election.
Meanwhile, the NDC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), at its recent second national meeting, reaffirmed the supremacy of the party and declared that it would not operate as a personality-driven movement or a temporary electoral platform.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, the NEC directed all affiliated support groups to function strictly under the supervision of the party and instructed elected officials to consult party structures on major policy decisions and appointments.
