The All Progressives Congress (APC) has recorded a major influx of politicians and supporters in Kano State following the defection of former senators Rufai Sani Hanga, Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya and Senator Masud El-Jibrin Doguwa to the ruling party.
The three political figures were among 136,038 defectors who reportedly joined the APC during the unveiling of campaign groups for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
The event attracted politicians from several opposition parties, including the National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Among those who reportedly defected was Ali Datti Yako, the Kano State Deputy Chairman of the NDC, alongside some members of the party’s state executive committee.
Former Ungogo Local Government Chairman, Badaru Umar, also joined the APC with supporters from the political camp of former Kano APC governorship candidate Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.
The list of defectors also included former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Isyaku Ali Danja, who reportedly moved to the ruling party with his supporters.
Former PDP deputy governorship candidate Yusuf Bello Danbatta also defected alongside his political supporters.
Other defectors included former Special Adviser to the President, Senator Baraka Sani, and Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya, chairman of the NNPP’s “Book Faction”.
Former NNPP senatorial candidate Abdulmajid Dauda Dandawaki also joined the APC with his supporters, while an NDC candidate for the Kano State House of Assembly, identified as Kabiru, was also listed among those who defected.
The latest movement is another indication of the political realignment taking place in Kano ahead of the 2027 elections.
The APC has attracted a growing number of politicians from opposition parties in recent months, particularly following the decision of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to join the ruling party.
The governor’s defection has subsequently been followed by the movement of some lawmakers and political appointees into the APC.
The latest group cuts across former senators, federal and state lawmakers, local government officials and party executives, further strengthening the APC’s political machinery in Kano ahead of 2027.
