Kano Lawmaker Dumps APC For NDC After Losing Ticket

A member of the Kano State House of Assembly representing Gwale Constituency, Abdulmajid Mai Rigar Fata, has defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress after failing to secure his party’s ticket for re-election.

The lawmaker was formally received on Thursday by former Kano State governor and NDC leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at his Maitama residence in Abuja.

The development was disclosed in a Facebook post by Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, who said the lawmaker joined the party alongside other political associates.

Those received included Kabiru Auwal, a former vice chairman of Gwale Local Government, and Mahadi Umar.

Mai Rigar Fata was first elected into the Assembly in 2023 under the New Nigeria Peoples Party before later defecting to the APC alongside Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

Reports indicate that his latest move followed his inability to secure the APC ticket to contest for another term.

The defection came hours after a Federal High Court ruling cleared the way for politicians to switch parties ahead of the next election cycle.

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

According to him, the ruling removes restrictions that previously limited politicians from seeking alternative platforms, thereby strengthening freedom of association and potentially reshaping the political landscape in the lead-up to the elections.