We won’t Surrender Party structure To Kwankwaso — Kano NDC chairman

A fresh political crisis is brewing within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State as the party’s chairman, Usaini Isa Mai Riga, has rejected moves to cede control of the party structure to former governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

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Speaking exclusively on Monday, Mai Riga said negotiations aimed at integrating Kwankwaso into the party had collapsed after two meetings failed to resolve disagreements over leadership control.

According to him, the former governor is pushing for full takeover of the party machinery in the state ,a demand he described as unacceptable.

“He wants us to hand over the entire party to him, despite the sacrifices we made when the party had little or no presence,” Mai Riga said.

The chairman insisted that the current leadership would resist any attempt to displace them, vowing to explore all legitimate means to retain control.

“This will not happen. We will pursue all lawful avenues to ensure that the party structure is not hijacked,” he added.

Mai Riga also alleged that the party’s national leadership directed the suspension of the planned state congress in Kano due to Kwankwaso’s recent entry into the NDC , a move he claimed was part of efforts to facilitate the takeover.

“We were instructed not to hold the congress because of plans to hand over the structure. That is why I am not at the venue today. We will not allow the rights of our members to be trampled upon,” he said.

The development marks the first public pushback from the state leadership since Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, officially joined the party just 24 hours earlier.

Kwankwaso is said to have arrived in Kano on Monday and is expected to consult with key political allies on party structure and future electoral strategies ahead of the 2027 general elections.

However, Mai Riga noted that the former governor has yet to formally engage with the state leadership.

Efforts to reach Kwankwaso or his aides for comment were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.