Ex-Military Head of State’s Son Becomes PDP Governorship Candidate as Details Emerge
- The Kano State PDP selected Muhammad Sani Abacha, son of former Head of State Sani Abacha, as its 2027 governorship candidate
- Abacha's emergence followed the withdrawal of the party's earlier primary winner, Muhammad Bello Dalha, after stakeholder consultations in Kano and Abuja
- The PDP also named Alhaji Yusuf Ado Kibiya as deputy governorship candidate as part of a broader reconciliation effort within the party
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State has picked Alhaji Muhammad Sani Abacha, son of former military Head of State General Sani Abacha, as its candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The decision came during an expanded state executive committee meeting held in Kano on Wednesday, July 23, 2026, where the party conducted an affirmation and replacement primary after its previously selected candidate stepped down.
Source: Getty Images
How Abacha emerged as candidate
Muhammad Bello Dalha had won the party's initial primary but later withdrew after consultations between party stakeholders in both Kano and Abuja.
The Kano State PDP Chairman, Dr Bello Gambo Bichi, said the party was required by law to hold a replacement primary following that withdrawal.
"The law says that as a result of withdrawal, a replacement primary must be held. That is what brought us here today. We have affirmed Muhammad Sani Abacha as the gubernatorial candidate of our great party in Kano State," Bichi said.
The chairman of the electoral panel, Dr Abba Abdullahi, formally declared Abacha the winner of the replacement primary, saying the process followed the party's guidelines and relevant electoral regulations, and that Abacha met all requirements for nomination.
PDP Names Deputy Governorship Candidate in Reconciliation Move
Beyond the primary, the party used the occasion to address internal divisions. The PDP allocated the deputy governorship slot to the faction led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, naming former factional chairman and ex-commissioner for Land and Agriculture, Alhaji Yusuf Ado Kibiya, as deputy governorship candidate.
Bichi said the choice followed consultations and reconciliation talks among the party's various groups, signalling an effort to present a united front ahead of the 2027 elections.
Many resign from PDP
Previously, Legit.ng reported that hundreds of members and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kabba-Bunu local government area of Kogi State have formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a decamping ceremony held in the area.
Source: Legit.ng
