'Why ADC, Kano, is denying governorship ticket to primary winner'

A chieftain of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), Naja’atu Muhammad, has stated that the party will not award its Kano State governorship ticket to the winner of its primary election, Ibrahim Khalil, citing concerns regarding his loyalty to the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

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The Kano State ADC leadership, led by Musa Ungogo, had previously declared Mr Khalil the winner of the primary election following his victory over Ibrahim Ali-Amin. Mr Khalil secured a landslide victory on 22 May, polling 55,851 votes against Mr Ali-Amin’s 4,000.

However, speaking during a broadcast on Freedom Radio on Tuesday, Ms Muhammad, the ADC’s Deputy National Chairman (North-West), explained that the party opted for a consensus arrangement following allegations of irregularities in the primary process. She noted that both aspirants had signed an agreement to accept the outcome of the consensus arrangement.

A committee, chaired by Ben Obi with Ms Muhammad as secretary, evaluated the candidates based on their political viability, philosophy, and public acceptance.

Ms Muhammad alleged that Mr Khalil is a secret supporter of President Bola Tinubu, insisting he had praised Mr Tinubu in 2023 and 2025 as the ideal candidate for the presidency. “You can search it online,” Ms Muhammad said. “Ibrahim Khalil has supported Bola Tinubu 100 per cent. Why should we give our ticket to him?”

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She cited the ongoing insecurity across Northern Nigeria as a primary reason the region should not support President Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Dismissing claims that she was solely responsible for the party’s refusal to recognise Mr Khalil, Ms Muhammad clarified that she was merely the secretary of the seven-member consensus committee responsible for the decision.

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While the party’s national leadership has yet to formally announce its flagbearer, Ms Muhammad’s remarks indicate that the party intends to bypass the primary winner in favour of another candidate.