The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State has dismissed the planned defection of some of its chieftains to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing them as politicians without sufficient electoral influence to affect the party’s fortunes.
The development followed a solidarity visit by a group loyal to former Kano State Deputy Governor and 2023 APC governorship candidate Nasiru Gawuna to Governor Abba Yusuf and his deputy, Murtala Garo, on Tuesday.
The group, led by Gawuna’s ally, Muhammad Badaru Umar, included the NDC Deputy Chairman in Kano, Ali Datti Yako; Mansur Isa Gawuna; Uba Tanko Mijinyawa; Aminu Umar Faruk; Sani Jibrin; and other party members.
According to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature, the delegation said it was consulting ahead of its planned defection to the APC.
Badaru said the visit was driven by their desire to contribute to the development of Kano State, while Yako praised Yusuf’s administration.
However, reacting to the development, the NDC Publicity Secretary in Kano, Yusif Fasaha, said the defectors had little political value and would not affect the party’s electoral prospects.
Fasaha told LEADERSHIP that some of the politicians had previously failed to deliver their polling units, wards, and local government areas during elections.
He said, “These are people who cannot win their polling units or wards. They have no political value.
“If they were truly valuable, they should have won elections somewhere before. Looking at their past records, none of them could win their local government.”
The NDC spokesman alleged that the group’s primary interest was to secure elective positions on the party’s platform, warning that they could defect to the APC after winning elections on the NDC ticket.
He said the party was therefore better off allowing them to leave, adding that their exit would create room for genuine supporters to occupy the positions they had allegedly blocked.
Fasaha further said the development would not affect Gawuna’s senatorial ambition, insisting that he remained the NDC candidate.
He added that more than 50 APC members from Ungogo Local Government Area had recently joined the NDC.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya movement, Habibu Mohammed, did not respond to calls and messages sent to him seeking comments on the development.
