NDC drops ex-Senator Gaya for Batayya in Kano South race

By Musa Baba Adamu with agency report

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has denied former Kano South senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya a return ticket for the 2027 elections after settling for former National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) Chairman Alkasim Ibrahim Batayya as its consensus candidate.
Gaya, who recently defected to the NDC after leaving both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress( ADC), had sought the party’s senatorial ticket for Kano South.
However, party leaders opted for Batayya during a consensus meeting held at the Miller Road residence of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in Kano.
The development was confirmed by Kwankwasiyya spokesperson Mansur Kurugu, who disclosed that Gaya had accepted the decision and pledged support for Batayya’s candidacy.
According to Kurugu, the NDC intends to continue using consensus arrangements to settle candidates for elective positions rather than conducting full-scale primary elections.
A video later circulated by Saifullahi Hassan reportedly showed Gaya publicly endorsing the outcome.
The decision represents a significant political setback for Gaya, who served as senator for Kano South between 2015 and 2023 and previously governed Kano State during the Third Republic.
Batayya is now expected to face incumbent senator Sumaila, who won the seat under the New Nigeria Peoples Party in 2023 before defecting to the APC, where he has already secured the party’s ticket for the 2027 contest.