Kano State on Monday witnessed yet another political twist as chieftains of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) formally received the former governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, into the party.
The national chairman of the ADC, David Mark, received Mr Kwankwaso into the party.
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Party leaders at the event included former Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Lawan Daura; former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun; former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi; 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi; and former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; among others.
The formal defection took place at an elaborate ceremony at Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence in Kano.
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Upon being presented with his ADC membership card, Mr Kwankwaso displayed it to the cheering crowd of supporters.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Kwankwaso urged his supporters to register with the ADC and ensure they obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
This defection marks the fourth time Mr Kwankwaso has changed political parties since the inception of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic in 1999, when he was first elected governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr Kwankwaso left the NNPP for the ADC three months after his erstwhile protege, Governor Abba Yusuf’s unexpected exit to the APC in January, a defection that reportedly went against their original plans.
Governor Yusuf led a faction of the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya movement to the APC.
History of defection
Mr Kwankwaso had first left the PDP in November 2013, alongside the then-governors Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State.
They joined the APC after staging a walkout from the PDP National Convention in Abuja.
Mr Kwankwaso, however, rejoined the PDP in July 2018 alongside 14 APC senators and ran unsuccessfully for the PDP presidential ticket in the 2019 election.
READ ALSO: Recovery of government vehicles from Kwankwaso’s supporters sparks controversy in Kano
Mr Kwankwaso left the PDP again with his allies, including the then PDP governorship candidate in 2019, now Governor Yusuf, and joined the NNPP in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
The party won the governor’s seat and several legislative seats in Kano.
Mr Kwankwaso had earlier said he would only join a party that selected him as either the presidential or vice presidential candidate, indicating that he would seek the ADC ticket in the 2027 election.
Mr Kwankwaso came in a distant fourth in the 2023 presidential election under the NNPP, winning only in his home state of Kano, where he is very popular.
Before deciding to join the ADC, he met with Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress but ultimately decided not to join the party.
However, his protege, Governor Yusuf, and most of his appointees and state lawmakers joined the APC, setting the stage for an interesting general election in the state.
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