Gaya loses Kano South senatorial ticket after joining NDC

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An ex-senator, Kabiru Gaya, has lost the Nigeria Democratic Congress senatorial ticket for Kano South despite recently defecting to the opposition party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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PUNCH Online gathered that the party on Sunday adopted Kassim Batayya as its consensus candidate for the Kano South Senatorial District during a stakeholders’ meeting reportedly held at the Miller Road residence of former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

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The development is coming weeks after Gaya dumped the All Progressives Congress and aligned with the NDC amid growing political realignments in Kano State ahead of the 2027 elections.

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Gaya, who recently dumped the APC after years in the party, had reportedly been positioning himself for a political comeback to the Senate under the platform of the NDC.

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The former lawmaker resigned from the APC on April 5, briefly joined the African Democratic Congress, and later joined the NDC alongside Kwankwaso.

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However, despite speculations that he would clinch the Kano South ticket, the party settled for Batayya during the primary process.

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The announcement was disclosed by Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, in a Facebook post on Sunday.

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Hassan also shared a video clip in which Gaya publicly endorsed Batayya as the party’s consensus candidate.

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In the video, Gaya acknowledged that the decision was taken in his absence but said he accepted the outcome in the interest of unity within the party.

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“We are all working for the progress of the party. Although I was not present when the decision was taken, I have accepted it in good faith,” Gaya was heard saying in the clip.

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He added, “Politics is about sacrifice and understanding. What is important is the collective interest of the party and the future of Kano South.”

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PUNCH Online reports that the NDC has commenced primary congresses for candidates contesting Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats ahead of the 2027 elections.

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Political observers believe the latest development may reshape the political landscape in Kano South, especially with the return of intense rivalry among the state’s major political blocs.

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Gaya served as governor of Kano State during the Third Republic between 1992 and 1993, and later represented the Kano South Senatorial District from 2015 to 2023 under the APC.

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He lost his re-election bid in 2023 to Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, who contested on the New Nigeria People’s Party ticket.

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Sumaila has since defected to the APC and is widely reported to have secured the ruling party’s ticket for the 2027 senatorial election in Kano South.

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