Mangal’s Son Emerges APC Candidate As Rep Loses Return Ticket

A sitting member of the House of Representatives has lost his bid for re-election after party stakeholders in Katsina Central Federal Constituency settled on the son of billionaire businessman Dahiru Mangal as the All Progressives Congress consensus candidate for the 2027 polls.

Hon. Sani Aliyu Danlami, currently serving his second term in the Green Chamber, was edged out of contention following two days of intense negotiations that stretched from Tuesday to Thursday, involving multiple rounds of deliberations among aspirants and their backers.

The stakeholders chose Abba Mangal, a legal practitioner and one of Dahiru Mangal’s sons, as the party’s flag bearer — a decision that caught many observers off guard, given that the younger Mangal had not publicly declared interest in the race.

The outcome represents a notable political shift in the constituency, where Danlami had built a considerable incumbency advantage and grassroots presence over two terms. It also marks the first time a member of the Mangal family has emerged as a frontline candidate for elective office, despite the patriarch’s outsized influence on Katsina’s political landscape spanning more than two decades.

Dahiru Mangal is widely credited with playing a pivotal role in shaping electoral outcomes across the state, including his support for the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s re-election as governor in 2003.

Since then, he has remained a key figure in determining appointments and elective positions in the state.

Among the other aspirants who contested the ticket were Lawal Amadu Joka, a former Aide-de-Camp to ex-governor Aminu Bello Masari; Haruna Maiwada; Ibrahim Ali Guguwa; and Hon. Abdurashid Abba.

Danlami has since accepted the outcome and urged his supporters to remain calm.

In a statement, he called on party faithful to shun violence and prioritise peace and unity, stressing the importance of maintaining stability within the party and the state.

With the ticket now settled, attention turns to how aggrieved aspirants and their supporters will respond to the party’s decision, and whether the APC can hold together ahead of the 2027 general elections in Katsina.