Former Kano South Senator Kabiru Gaya has lost his bid for the Nigeria Democratic Congress ticket for 2027, with party stakeholders picking Kassim Batayya as consensus candidate.
The decision was reached Sunday at a meeting in Rabiu Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence in Kano. Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, confirmed the outcome in a Facebook post and shared a video showing Gaya endorsing Batayya. Gaya said he was not present when the consensus was reached.
Gaya, who represented Kano South from 2015 to 2023 and was governor during the Third Republic, defected to the NDC recently after brief stints in the APC and ADC. His move was part of wider realignments ahead of 2027.
The loss is a setback for the former senator, who had sought a return to the Senate.
The NDC is currently holding primaries across Kano for Senate, House of Representatives, and State Assembly seats.
Meanwhile, Gaya’s successor Kawu Sumaila, who beat him in 2023 on the NNPP platform, has since defected to the APC and is expected to run for re-election in 2027.
