Kano Lawmaker Defects to NDC After Losing APC Reelection Ticket

Abdulmajid Isa Umar Mai Rigar Fata, a member of the Kano State House of Assembly representing Gwale Constituency, defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress on May 21, 2026, after failing to secure the APC ticket for reelection. He was formally received at a residence in Maitama, Abuja, by NDC national leader and former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Mai Rigar Fata was joined in the defection by former Gwale Local Government Vice Chairman Kabiru Sani Auwal Obi and Mahadi Isa Umar. The move came on the same day a Federal High Court ruling removed restrictions on politicians seeking alternative platforms, a decision the African Democratic Congress predicts will trigger a mass exodus from the ruling APC. The court ruling and the immediate defection signal growing fragmentation within the ruling party ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.