Fresh controversy has erupted within the All Progressives Congress in Kano State after leading Kano Central senatorial aspirant Dr. Mohammed Musa Zango formally petitioned the Appeal Committee over what he described as the failure to conduct lawful direct primaries for the Kano Central Senatorial District.
In a strongly worded appeal submitted on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Kano, Dr. Zango requested the nullification of any declaration or affirmation arising from what he described as an “incomplete and disputed consensus arrangement,” insisting that no valid primary election was conducted on May 18 as scheduled by the party.
The appeal has intensified growing tension within Kano APC following widespread complaints by supporters and stakeholders who alleged that party members across the 15 Local Government Areas of Kano Central waited for hours under the scorching Kano sun with APC membership cards expecting accreditation and voting to commence, only for no election officials to appear.
According to the appeal letter obtained by Headlinenews.news, supporters reportedly assembled peacefully at various ward and local government secretariats from about 8:30am until approximately 3:30pm in line with the timetable earlier announced by APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka confirming that senatorial primaries nationwide would hold on Monday, May 18, 2026.
The letter further alleged that members of the Election Committee remained inside Government House Kano until late at night and were unavailable to conduct the exercise, a situation Dr. Zango argued contradicted the official timetable and undermined democratic participation within the party.
Dr. Zango also maintained that the controversial “consensus arrangement” promoted after the screening exercise in Abuja never attained legal or procedural validity because he neither signed nor endorsed any final affirmation document required under party guidelines to replace the primaries.
The senatorial aspirant stated that he had earlier dissociated himself from the “consensus” arrangement through formal petitions to the APC National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman (North), and copied to the National Organising Secretary after stakeholders across Kano Central rejected the “consensus” process initiated by the Governor.
The appeal further claimed that aspirants were subtly pressured and blackmailed to accept the arrangement or risk being labelled anti-party members, a development the letter described as inconsistent with internal democracy.
Dr. Zango, Founder of the Fatah Zango Foundation and recipient of the National Patriots Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Service and Community Development, insisted that his aspiration was rooted in grassroots consultations and public support across Kano Central.
He also referenced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive of May 14, 2026, which reportedly instructed APC states to conduct direct primaries where genuine consensus had not been achieved among aspirants.
In the appeal, Dr. Zango urged the committee to declare null and void any recognition or declaration arising from the disputed process and immediately reschedule transparent direct primaries for Kano Central “in the interest of justice, fairness, peace, party unity, and internal democracy.”
Political observers say the dispute may become a major test of the APC leadership’s commitment to transparent candidate emergence ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly in Kano State where internal political alignments remain highly sensitive and strategically important to the party’s electoral calculations.
The National Patriots believe transparent primaries remain the strongest path to peace, unity, and democratic legitimacy within the All Progressives Congress ahead of 2027. Where genuine consensus is disputed, the will of party members must prevail through credible voting. Suppressing grassroots participation risks deepening grievances, while fair primaries strengthen confidence, stability, and long-term electoral success for the party.
The National Patriots believe no politician should be dismissed as politically irrelevant in a democracy built on grassroots participation. Dr. Mohammed Musa Zango has spent over two decades through the Fatah Zango Foundation supporting orphans, widows, persons with disabilities, vulnerable families, youth empowerment programmes, and Sallah interventions across Kano Central.
The massive turnout of supporters across the constituency, including strong mobilisation in the political base of former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, demonstrates that Dr. Zango’s humanitarian investment has evolved into significant grassroots political capital. Ignoring such support may weaken party cohesion and deny the APC valuable grassroots strength ahead of 2027.
Imran Khazaly
Headlinenews.news Special Report
