Kwankwasiyya Camp rejects candidate substitution

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Kwankwasiyya Movement has pushed back against reports that candidates loyal to its leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, have been removed from the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate list in Kano State, insisting that all affected aspirants emerged through legitimate party processes.
The reaction follows reports that the NDC leadership reviewed and replaced some candidates submitted by the Kwankwasiyya bloc, citing an alleged breach of a power-sharing agreement between the faction and the party’s original structure.
However, the movement’s national spokesperson, Habib Mai-Lemo, questioned the authenticity of the reported changes, stating that neither the movement nor the affected candidates had received any official communication confirming the substitutions.
Speaking to journalists, Mai-Lemo maintained that the candidates emerged either through consensus arrangements or primary elections conducted by the party and monitored by relevant stakeholders, including the electoral commission.
He argued that the Kwankwasiyya Movement neither sold nomination forms nor controlled the nomination process, stressing that all aspirants participated under procedures established by the party.
According to him, no objections were raised during the primaries, making the sudden emergence of reports about candidate replacements surprising to the movement.
The dispute stems from a document reportedly issued by Kano State NDC Chairman, Hussaini Isah Mairiga, which claimed that adjustments were made to candidate lists in line with an earlier agreement on the sharing of party positions and elective tickets between the Kwankwasiyya bloc and the party’s existing structure.
While tensions continue to mount within the opposition party, the Kwankwasiyya camp says it will treat the reports as speculation until an official directive is received from the party leadership.
The controversy has deepened concerns about internal divisions within the NDC as political stakeholders position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.