The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) has moved to douse rising tensions in its Kano State chapter, resolving a leadership dispute that followed the entry of former governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso into the party.
At the end of a high-level intervention meeting on Tuesday, the party’s national leadership reaffirmed Hon. Husaini Isah Mai Riga as the substantive chairman of the Kano chapter, effectively settling weeks of internal wrangling.
The crisis was sparked by Kwankwaso’s defection to the NDC, a move that stirred contestation over the party’s leadership structure in Kano, with some members questioning Mai Riga’s continued stay in office.
Mai Riga had resisted attempts to remove him, insisting that his mandate remained valid.
The impasse prompted the intervention of the party’s national leadership, which convened a special meeting chaired by Seriake Henry Dickson.
The meeting was attended by Kwankwaso, the NDC Northwest Vice Chairman, Engr. Muhammad Sabo Bakin Zuwo, and other key stakeholders.
Party sources disclosed that the resolution included a power-sharing arrangement, with Mai Riga retaining his position as state chairman, while a significant portion of the party structure would accommodate Kwankwaso’s political bloc.
Speaking after the meeting, Mai Riga expressed appreciation to the party leadership and supporters for standing by him throughout the crisis.
He also extended an apology over any grievances that may have arisen during the dispute.
The arrangement, according to him, allocates 60 percent of the party’s leadership structure in the state to Kwankwaso’s camp, while preserving the existing chairmanship.
The resolution is expected to stabilize the party in Kano and strengthen its internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
