A member of the Kano State House of Assembly representing Gwale Constituency, Hon. Abdulmajid Isa Umar Mai Rigar Fata, has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
The lawmaker represents Gwale Local Government Area, the home constituency of Abba Kabir Yusuf, in what observers describe as a significant political shift ahead of the 2027 elections.
Mai Rigar Fata was formally received into the NDC on Thursday by former Kano State governor and party leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at his Maitama residence in Abuja.
Kwankwaso welcomed the new entrants into the party, describing their decision as a major boost to the NDC’s grassroots strength and political base in Kano State.
The lawmaker was first elected into the Assembly in 2023 under the platform of Kwankwaso’s former political movement, the NNPP, before later moving to the APC alongside Governor Yusuf.
His latest defection followed his failure to secure the APC ticket to seek re-election to the Kano State House of Assembly.
Others who joined the party alongside him included Hon. Kabiru Sani Auwal Obi, a former Vice Chairman of Gwale Local Government Area, and Malam Mahadi Isa Umar.
The development comes hours after a Federal High Court ruling on Thursday reportedly opened fresh opportunities for political defections that had previously been restricted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Reacting to the ruling, spokesman of the opposition African Democratic Congress, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, warned that the APC could soon face a wave of defections.
According to him, a “mass exodus” from the ruling party may be imminent as politicians begin realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
