How Kano NDC ticket row threatens Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ambition
A major political crisis is brewing within the Kano State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over an alleged breach of a power-sharing formula between founding members and new entrants from the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
The friction has escalated into a direct confrontation, with the party’s original faction wrestling multiple legislative tickets away from nominees loyal to the national leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The broken 60-40 formula
NigerianSketch understands that following Senator Kwankwaso’s entry into the NDC, an initial agreement was struck to split party executive positions and elective tickets. Under the deal, the Kwankwasiyya faction was allocated 60 per cent of the slots, while the foundational NDC members retained 40 per cent.
The arrangement initially paved the way for a consensus exercise, which notably produced Senator Kwankwaso as the vice-presidential running mate to Peter Obi for their joint ticket.
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However, just ten days after the official candidate list was released, the old guard accused Kwankwaso’s camp of total marginalisation, claiming the Kwankwasiyya faction failed to concede a single slot to them.
In a swift retaliatory move, five House of Representatives seats and seven State House of Assembly tickets were clawed back from Kwankwaso’s nominees.
Approved House of Reps candidates
A document signed by the Kano State NDC chairman, Hussaini Isah Mairiga—and copied to National Leader Senator Seriake Dickson, Senator Kwankwaso, and North-West Zonal chairman Alhaji Muhammadu Rabiu Sabo Bakinzuwo—confirmed the new changes.
The party has now officially approved the following candidates for the green chamber: Kumbotso, Barr. Isma’il Idris Sani; Nassarawa, Nasiru Ali Ahmed; Kano Municipal, Kabiru Ishaq Sa’id; Doguwa/Tudunwada, Barr. Dayyabu Jamilu Ibrahim; Dawakin Tofa/Rimin Gado/Tofa, Muhammad Hamisu Abubakar; Sumaila/Takai, Ibrahim Bashir Bango; Gwale, Abdulmajid Isa Umar Mairigar Fata.
Similar drastic adjustments were made to the State House of Assembly tickets in the Dala, Tarauni, Kumbotso, Ungogo, and Dawakin Kudu constituencies.
‘We will take more seats’ — NDC old guard fires back
Speaking on the development, the spokesperson for the Kano State NDC, Ibrahim Waya, stated that the Kwankwasiyya faction brought the crisis upon themselves by ignoring repeated warnings.
“You can’t just enter somebody’s house, open his wardrobe and start using his clothes without his consent,” Waya told Siyasarmu TV. “We didn’t even take the required 40 per cent approved for us. We only took four Reps seats and seven state assembly seats.”
Waya warned that the foundational members would not stop there.
“Now that there is a crisis, even the 12 federal and state seats we took are not up to the required 40 per cent, so we will still take more. Now we will even take a Senate seat. The consensus won’t work anymore,” he added, noting that Kano was the only state where the allocation formula was violated.
Allegations are baseless — Kwankwasiyya
In a sharp rebuttal, the spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habibu Saleh Mohammed, dismissed the allegations of marginalisation as completely untrue. He maintained that the old party members were fully carried along during the selection process.
“It is surprising hearing them raise this issue close to 10 days after concluding our primaries through consensus. Where were they all this while?” Mohammed questioned.
He added that the movement is currently studying the situation and will issue a formal response in due course.
This is not the first time both factions have clashed. Shortly after Kwankwaso joined the NDC, state chairman Hussaini Isa Mairiga fiercely resisted attempts to hand over the entire party structure to the former governor. That initial friction required the intervention of the party’s national body to broker a temporary truce.
National leadership asserts party supremacy
Amidst the growing internal rancour across various state chapters, the NDC National Executive Committee (NEC) held its second meeting to roll out strict measures aimed at enforcing discipline and party supremacy.
In a statement signed by the national publicity secretary, Osa Director, the party resolved that all governments elected on the NDC platform must consult party structures before making key policy decisions or appointments.
According to him, a new comprehensive Code of Conduct for party officials and candidates is being developed by the national legal adviser, while a National Reconciliation Committee has been set up to engage and appease aggrieved members nationwide.
The NEC reiterated that the NDC is being built as a lasting institution rather than a “personality-driven organization or a special-purpose vehicle.”
Political analyst and lecturer at the Kano State College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies, Dr. Kabiru Sa’id Sufi, has warned that the ongoing local feud could have catastrophic consequences on the party’s national prospects.
Dr. Sufi noted that Kano is regarded as the party’s strongest northern stronghold, meaning any deep-seated division will directly undermine the potency of the Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ticket.
“The ability to resolve the situation and for the two sides to make concessions is what will position the NDC as a stronger political party,” Dr. Sufi observed. “But if dissatisfaction continues, it may even affect Kwankwaso’s posture and the chances of the party to perform well in the forthcoming elections.”
He further revealed that some aggrieved members are already mounting pressure on their leaders to defect if the national body fails to address their grievances. Dismissing rumors of external sabotage, Dr. Sufi concluded that the crisis is entirely self-inflicted and must be resolved swiftly.
