ADC in Kano Won't Give Governorship Ticket to Primary Winner

A leader from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Naja’atu Muhammad, has said the party will not give its Kano State governorship ticket to Ibrahim Khalil, the winner of its primary election. She mentioned worries about his loyalty to the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The Kano State ADC leadership, headed by Musa Ungogo, had earlier announced Mr Khalil as the primary winner after he defeated Ibrahim Ali-Amin. Mr Khalil won big on May 22, getting 55,851 votes while Mr Ali-Amin got only 4,000.

But during a broadcast on Freedom Radio on Tuesday, Ms Muhammad, the ADC’s Deputy National Chairman (North-West), said the party chose a consensus system after complaints of problems in the primary process. She added that both candidates agreed to accept the outcome of the consensus.

A committee led by Ben Obi, with Ms Muhammad as secretary, looked at the candidates based on their political strength, beliefs, and how well they are accepted by the public.

Ms Muhammad claimed Mr Khalil secretly supports President Bola Tinubu, saying he praised him in 2023 and 2025 as the best candidate for president. "You can search it online," Ms Muhammad said. "Ibrahim Khalil has supported Bola Tinubu 100 percent. Why should we give our ticket to him?"

She pointed to the ongoing insecurity in Northern Nigeria as a key reason the region should not back President Tinubu’s run for re-election.

Ms Muhammad also denied that she was the only one responsible for the party’s decision to ignore Mr Khalil. She explained that she was just the secretary of the seven-member consensus committee that made the choice.

While the party’s national leaders have not yet officially announced who will carry their flag, Ms Muhammad’s comments suggest they plan to choose another candidate instead of the primary winner.