Fresh crisis brews in NDC as Kwankwasiyya rejects candidate substitutions

The Kwankwasiyya Movement has strongly rejected reports that the leadership of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) has removed several candidates loyal to its leader and the party’s 2027 vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from the list of candidates for elective positions in Kano State.

The development follows reports that the NDC leadership in Kano reviewed and replaced some candidates earlier submitted by the Kwankwasiyya bloc, citing the need to implement a power-sharing arrangement between the party’s existing structure and the Kwankwasiyya movement.

According to a document allegedly signed by the Kano State Chairman of the NDC, Hon. Hussaini Isah Mairiga, the adjustments were made to reflect an earlier agreement on the allocation of party offices and elective tickets between both groups following their political alliance.

The document, which was reportedly copied to the party’s national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, Kwankwaso and the NDC North-West Zonal Chairman, outlined changes affecting candidates for both federal and state legislative positions.

However, reacting to the reports on Monday, the National Spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habib Mai-Lemo, dismissed the alleged changes and questioned the authenticity of the document.

Mai-Lemo maintained that all aspirants sponsored by the Kwankwasiyya camp emerged through transparent and lawful procedures conducted by the party, stressing that the movement neither sold nomination forms nor interfered with the selection process.

Expressing surprise over the controversy, he said the movement would, for the time being, regard the report as mere speculation until official communication is received from the party leadership.

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“I also saw on social media that some candidates are being dropped a week after the primaries were conducted,” Mai-Lemo said.

He explained that the nomination process was handled entirely by the party and that candidates emerged either through consensus arrangements or primary elections conducted in accordance with established guidelines.

“It was not Kwankwaso that sold nomination forms; it was the party. Therefore, all processes were followed, whether through consensus or primary election,” he stated.

According to him, every candidate associated with the Kwankwasiyya Movement participated fully in the nomination process and met all requirements laid down by the party.

“All our candidates participated in the processes from start to finish. During the exercise, we did not receive any complaints from anybody. We did not prevent anyone from purchasing nomination forms because we were not responsible for selling them in the first place,” he added.

Mai-Lemo further argued that key stakeholders, including party officials and representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, were present throughout the process and witnessed how the candidates emerged.

He said the movement was therefore puzzled by reports suggesting that some candidates could be removed after the conclusion of the primaries.

“We do not know where this issue is coming from, but we are waiting to determine whether it is true or not because we have not received a copy of the letter allegedly signed by the State Chairman of the NDC,” he said.

The Kwankwasiyya spokesperson noted that the state chairman was actively involved in the consensus meetings and other nomination procedures, making the reported alterations difficult to understand.

“We know that the state chairman was part of the process. He was present when the consensus arrangements took place, and even INEC was there. For now, we are treating the report as a rumour,” he added.