Major Defections to APC in Kano Ahead of 2027 Elections

On a significant political shift, former senators Rufai Sani Hanga and Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, along with Senator Masud El-Jibrin Doguwa, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State. This mass defection occurred during the unveiling of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign groups in Kano, ahead of the 2027 elections, where a total of 136,038 defectors joined the APC.

Notable figures among the defectors included Ali Datti Yako, the Kano State Deputy Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and former Ungogo Local Government Chairman Badaru Umar, who defected with members of Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna's political group. Former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Isyaku Ali Danja, also joined the APC with his supporters.

Additional defectors included former PDP deputy governorship candidate Yusuf Bello Danbatta, former Special Adviser to the President Senator Baraka Sani, and others from various political backgrounds. The APC has seen an influx of opposition politicians, particularly from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), following Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s recent defection to the ruling party.