Kano lawmaker defects to NDC following APC ticket loss

A member of the Kano State House of Assembly representing Gwale Constituency, Abdulmajid Isa Umar Mai Rigar Fata, has defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress after failing to secure a return ticket for the 2027 election.

The lawmaker, who represents Gwale Local Government Area, the same area where Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf hails from, was formally received on Thursday by former Kano State governor and NDC leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at his Maitama residence in Abuja.

Kwankwaso described the defection as a boost to the party’s grassroots strength in Kano State, noting that the new entrants would help strengthen the party’s structure ahead of future elections.

Mai Rigar Fata was first elected into the Assembly in 2023 under the then New Nigeria Peoples Party before later aligning with Governor Yusuf in the APC.

His latest move reportedly followed his inability to secure the APC ticket to return to the House of Assembly.

Others who joined the NDC alongside him include Kabiru Sani Auwal Obi, former vice chairman of Gwale Local Government, and Mahadi Isa Umar.

The defection comes shortly after a Federal High Court ruling which is said to have eased restrictions on political defections ahead of the next election cycle.

Reacting to the judgment, the spokesman of the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling could trigger a wave of defections from the ruling party in the coming days.