NNPP secures Bagwai/Shanono seat, expands majority in Kano assembly

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has clinched victory in the Bagwai/Shanono state constituency by-election, tightening its grip on the Kano State House of Assembly.

Announcing the results on Sunday, Returning Officer Hassan Adamu Shitu declared Ali Hassan Kiyawa of the NNPP winner with 16,198 votes, defeating Ahmad Muhammad Kadamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 5,347 votes.

The election followed the death of former APC lawmaker, Halilu Ibrahim Kundila, in April 2024. With this outcome, the NNPP now holds 26 of the 40 assembly seats, while the APC retains 14.

The contest, however, was not without controversy. APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, called for cancellation of the poll, alleging violence and disruptions by armed gangs in Bagwai, Shanono, and Ghari.

But the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Audu Zango, confirmed that security operatives arrested over 100 suspected political thugs during the exercise.

Reacting, NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, dismissed APC’s allegations as unfounded, describing the election as peaceful, credible, and a reaffirmation of the party’s dominance in Kano politics.