SPECIAL REPORT: Kwankwaso Seals ADC Deal, Defection Holds Monday

SPECIAL REPORT: Kwankwaso Seals ADC Deal, Defection Holds Monday

 

Barring any last-minute change, the presidential candidate of the 2023 general election under New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is expected to formally defect to African Democratic Congress on Monday, following the resolution of critical issues that delayed his earlier planned move.

Reliable sources close to the former Kano State governor disclosed that the defection, initially scheduled for last Wednesday, was postponed to allow both camps conclude negotiations over strategic political interests, particularly control of the ADC structure in Kano.

At the centre of the discussions was Kwankwaso’s insistence on producing the party’s governorship candidate in Kano, a demand that initially met resistance from ADC leaders who preferred an open contest among aspirants.

However, after days of consultations, party leaders were said to have accepted the condition, paving the way for Kwankwaso’s formal entry into the party.

Sources said the former governor is backing Nasiru Gawuna, candidate of All Progressives Congress in the 2023 governorship election, as the preferred governorship candidate under the ADC platform in Kano.

Gawuna is also expected to defect alongside Kwankwaso during the ceremony scheduled to hold in Kano on Monday.

Also billed to join the ADC at the event is Aminu Abdussalam, immediate past deputy governor, who recently resigned his position.

Party insiders said the agreement reached will see Kwankwaso assume leadership of the ADC in Kano, while also being recognised as one of the national leaders of the party because of his political weight in the North. 🔥

It was also gathered that Kwankwaso had demanded assurance over future presidential calculations, including the possibility of producing a vice-presidential candidate, but the ADC leadership reportedly declined, insisting that such a decision would remain the exclusive right of the party’s eventual presidential flagbearer.

Despite that, sources said he accepted the arrangement in view of the urgency of ongoing political realignments and changing alliances ahead of 2027.

The Kwankwasiyya movement, his political support base, has already confirmed that the former minister will formally join the ADC on Monday.

The final phase of talks reportedly followed a recent meeting in Abuja between Kwankwaso and Rauf Aregbesola, during which outstanding demands were resolved.

A source within the movement said both sides understood the strategic importance of Kano in any opposition coalition, making compromise inevitable.

Efforts to get official confirmation from ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to him were not returned as of press time.