Kano ADC crisis deepens as two governorship aspirants fight over ticket

The internal crisis rocking the Kano State chapter of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified, with two leading aspirants locked in a fierce battle over the party’s governorship ticket for the 2027 election.

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Both Ibrahim Khalil and Ibrahim Ali-Amin, popularly known as Al’amin Little, are claiming the ticket.

While the party’s national leadership has yet to announce the flagbearer, local stakeholders are digging in their heels.

On Sunday, a group of senior party figures—including party elder Sulaiman Mabo, former Kano ADC Chairman Musa Ungogo, and administrative secretary Bala Takai—addressed journalists on behalf of the Expanded State Interim Leadership Team (ESILT).

The group rejected an alleged plot by the national leadership to impose Mr Al’amin, who finished as the runner-up in the primary election.

According to the stakeholders, Mr Khalil secured a landslide victory in the 22 May primaries, polling 55,851 votes against Mr Al’amin’s 4,000 votes.

“The election was clear: there was a definitive winner and a loser,” the group insisted. “Our endorsement is not just about the primary results; it is a strategic decision based on Kano’s unique political history and local dynamics.”

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The stakeholders highlighted Mr Khalil’s deep grassroots appeal, his status as a founding member of the ADC in Kano, his strong influence among women and youth, and his reputation as a unifier and respected Islamic cleric across religious divides.

Addressing critics who question Mr Khalil’s financial capacity to sustain a gruelling governorship campaign, the leaders drew parallels to Kano’s political history.

They cited late former governors Abubakar Rimi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Ibrahim Shekarau, all of whom triumphed over wealthier opponents.

“If history teaches us anything, it is that Kano’s electorate looks beyond wealth to choose candidates based on character, integrity, and principles,” the group said, insisting that Mr Khalil’s integrity remains his strongest selling point.

The stakeholders warned the national working committee that bypassing the mandate given to Mr Khalil could trigger an electoral disaster reminiscent of the 2011 crisis within the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

They declared that the state chapter would no longer cooperate with or tolerate interference from any external party or directives that undermine Mr Khalil’s mandate.

Reacting to the allegations, Mr Al’amin denied any plot to impose him on the party.

Speaking through a statement issued by his aide, Adnan Mukhtar, Mr Al’amin maintained that he remains loyal to the party’s leadership and is fully committed to an ongoing consensus-building process.

However, Mr Mukhtar dismissed the legitimacy of the individuals parading themselves as Kano ADC stakeholders.

He argued that following a recent Federal High Court judgment, the state executive committee had been dissolved.

“I want to state categorically that the so-called chairman of the party no longer occupies that position by virtue of a Federal High Court judgment,” Mr Mukhtar’s statement read.

“The national leadership will constitute a caretaker committee once it concludes the screening process for aspirants across the country.”

Mr Mukhtar also rejected claims regarding the existence of an officially recognised elders committee backing any candidate, stating that the national leadership never approved such an appointment.

He revealed that both Khalil and Al’amin had previously attended a consensus meeting in Abuja, where they signed an agreement to respect whatever final decision the party’s leadership reaches regarding the 2027 ticket.

“If an election truly took place and Khalil believes in its authenticity, why did he sign a consensus agreement in Abuja?” Mr Mukhtar questioned, urging members to await the final report of the consensus committee.

The clash of political heavyweights

Both figures possess distinct political leverage.

Mr Khalil is a highly revered Islamic cleric and the former Chairman of the Kano Council of Ulama (Islamic scholars).

His political strength lies on moral authority and heavy grassroots appeal, particularly among the state’s deeply religious electorate.

Mr Al’amin, on the other hand, is a political veteran and businessman who has contested the Kano governorship space since the early 2000s (under the APP/ANPP and PDP) and wields significant financial and national party connections.

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The Kano crisis mirrors a broader structural issue within the ADC nationally, where the National Working Committee (NWC) often favours “consensus arrangements” to field financially powerful or nationally connected candidates.

Conversely, the local state chapters lean heavily toward direct or indirect primaries to maintain local autonomy.

The stakeholders’ warning regarding the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) references a famous historical event in Kano politics.

In 2011, the CPC national leadership bypassed a popular grassroots candidate to impose a wealthier flagbearer, which triggered mass defection and internal sabotage, handing an easy victory to Rabiu Kwankwaso of the PDP.

The Kano ADC stakeholders are signalling that a repeat of top-down imposition will destroy the party’s chances in 2027.