The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State has received several prominent opposition politicians, including the state’s Kano Central senator, Rufa’i Hanga, and former governor Kabiru Gaya, in a fresh wave of political defections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Hanga, who was the only senator representing Kano under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), formally joined the APC on Saturday after resigning from the opposition party.
His resignation followed a letter he submitted to the chairman of the NDC’s Dakata Ward on August 3.
Hanga’s defection is particularly significant because former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, a leading figure in the NDC, is the party’s vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The APC also welcomed several other prominent political figures and thousands of their supporters during an event held at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kofar Mata, Kano.
Among those who joined the ruling party were former Kano State Governor Kabiru Gaya, factional NNPP chairman Mas’ud Doguwa, former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly Isyaku Danja and former PDP deputy governorship candidate Yusuf Danbatta.
Other opposition figures received into the APC included NDC chieftain Ali Yako and members of the party’s state executive committee, as well as Baraka Sani and former chairman of Ungogo Local Government Area, Badaru Umar.
Some members of the political camp associated with Nasiru Gawuna, the APC’s candidate in the 2023 Kano governorship election, were also among those who defected.
Gawuna is widely expected to return to the APC after he was unable to secure the NDC’s governorship ticket.
The defectors were received during the inauguration of the Tinubu Support Group 2.0 national structure and state executive committees in Kano.
The event attracted several senior APC figures, including Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, former governor Abdullahi Ganduje and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.
The latest defections are expected to reshape Kano’s political landscape as parties intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential, governorship and National Assembly elections.
The movement of prominent opposition figures into the APC could strengthen the ruling party’s structure in Kano and further intensify political realignments ahead of the elections.
