Drama in Kano as Supporters Beg Gawuna to Reject ADC Governorship Ticket Offer, Give Reasons
- Loyalists of Nasiru Gawuna have intensified appeals for him to reject the reported ADC governorship ticket offer
- Supporters who spoke with Legit.ng warned that accepting the ADC offer could fracture alliances within Kano’s political structure
- ADC has reportedly intensified efforts to persuade Gawuna with offers of wide-ranging political concessions
Fresh political tension grips Kano State as loyalists of former Deputy Governor Nasiru Gawuna are pleading with their leader to reject the rumoured offer from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Reports suggest that the ADC has intensified efforts to persuade the 2023 All Progressives Congress governorship candidate to contest the 2027 Kano gubernatorial election on its platform.
Source: Twitter
The party has also offered far-reaching political concessions, including automatic nominations for State House of Assembly and House of Representatives seats for some of Mr Gawuna’s loyalists.
Former Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and former ambassador Faruk Yabo are reportedly spearheading the efforts to bring Mr Gawuna into the party.
Supporters fear ADC ticket is trap
However, supporters who spoke with Legit.ng expressed strong opposition to the reported move.
Malam Bala Sani, a 44-year-old trader and long-time Gawuna supporter, said the ADC offer is a political trap that could jeopardise Gawuna's political future.
"We followed Gawuna from APC to ADC because he told us it was for the collective good. But this is different. ADC is offering him a governorship ticket now because they want to use him and discard him later.”
“Please, don't do it. Stay with Kwankwaso. That is where our future lies," he pleaded.
Fatima Musa, another women's group leader from Gwale Local Government, said the women of Kano would not support any move that takes Gawuna away from the political structure they trust.
"We have invested our hopes in him. My sisters and I worked day and night to mobilise votes for Gawuna in 2023. ADC is an unknown quantity in Kano. They do not have the structure; they do not have the grassroots. If Gawuna accepts their ticket, he will be starting from zero. We are begging him, do not abandon us," she said.
Loyalists threaten to abandon Gawuna entirely
Meanwhile, other supporters expressed concern that accepting the ADC offer would be seen as a betrayal of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, whom Gawuna has publicly pledged loyalty to after joining the ADC earlier this year.
Source: Twitter
Comrade Usman Ado, a youth mobiliser from Nasarawa LGA, said the political ramifications could be severe.
"Kwankwaso is our political father. Gawuna pledged loyalty to him when he joined ADC before moving to NDC. Now the same party is offering him the governorship ticket, knowing that Kwankwaso has other plans. This is a divide and rule tactic. If he accept, he will lose the respect of millions of Kwankwasiyya faithful across Kano. Please, I urge him to reject this offer before it is too late," he warned.
Malam Kabiru Sani, a political ally and grassroots organiser from Gwale LGA, delivered a blunt ultimatum. He vowed that the majority of the supporters would not follow Gawuna if he pursues the ADC governorship ticket.
"We have been with him through thick and thin. But we have our limits. If he accepts ADC's governorship offer, he will be going alone. We will not follow him.”
“We did not leave APC to end up in another party that does not know its left from its right. Kano politics is not a game. Please, we are begging Gawuna to listen to the voice of his people," he said.
Findings by Legit.ng show that Mr Gawuna, who served as deputy governor of Kano state under former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, was the APC governorship candidate in the 2023 election, polling 890,705 votes to finish second behind incumbent Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
He officially joined the ADC in March 2026 after resigning from the APC, pledging loyalty to Senator Kwankwaso.
However, Mr Gawuna was later tipped as a potential governorship candidate under the Nigeria Democratic Congress before Kwankwaso settled for his longtime ally, Aminu Abdussalam, as the party's governorship candidate.
Kwankwaso announces NDC Kano candidate 2027
Legit.ng earlier reported that former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso announced Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate for the 2027 elections in Kano State.
He also named Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna as the party’s candidate for the Kano Central senatorial district. According to him, the decisions were based on fairness, loyalty, and competence within the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
Source: Legit.ng
