By Hassan Adamu
A fresh wave of political uncertainty is sweeping through the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, following a reported alteration of its candidate list in Kano State, a development that has allegedly angered former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who is now said to be considering a possible exit from the party.
Party sources disclosed that the crisis stemmed from a recent review of the party’s list of candidates for federal and state legislative positions ahead of future elections, carried out by the Kano State chapter of the party.
The state chairman of the party, Hussaini Isah Mairiga, was said to have approved the revised list, citing the need to sustain an internal power-sharing arrangement designed to balance interests within the party structure in the state.
Under the arrangement, sources said, 60 per cent of elective positions were allocated to members aligned with the Kwankwasiyya political movement, while the remaining 40 per cent was reserved for the party’s original structure in the state.
However, the revised list reportedly affected several federal constituencies, including Kumbotso, Nassarawa, Kano Municipal, and Doguwa/Tudun Wada. Similar adjustments were also made to tickets for the Kano State House of Assembly, covering constituencies such as Dala, Tarauni, Kumbotso, Ungogo, and Dawakin Kudu.
The development has since generated tension within the party’s Kano structure, with insiders claiming that the changes were made without broad consensus among key stakeholders.
According to party sources, Kwankwaso and his loyalists are displeased with the alterations and are insisting on the restoration of the original list, warning that failure to do so could trigger a political realignment.
Although neither Kwankwaso nor the national leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress has issued an official statement on the matter, the unfolding dispute is being viewed as a major test of unity within the party, particularly in Kano, one of its most strategic strongholds.
Political observers warn that any escalation of the rift could weaken the party’s structure in the state ahead of future electoral contests, especially if Kwankwaso decides to follow through on indications of a possible exit.
