Senator Rufa’i Hanga has declared that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso cannot win the 2027 presidential election, amid growing speculation that he is preparing to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Hanga, who represents Kano Central Senatorial District, made the remarks during an interview with Freedom Radio after separate meetings with Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, meetings that have intensified reports of his imminent exit from the NDC.
The senator said he had lost confidence in the NDC’s prospects at the national level, arguing that neither Obi nor Kwankwaso commands the nationwide support required to win the presidency.
According to him, Kwankwaso’s political influence has become largely confined to Kano State, while the movement has lost its foothold in neighbouring states, including Katsina, Jigawa and Kaduna, after many of its members declined to join the NDC.
“In the North, Obi has Kwankwaso as running mate, and Kwankwaso is only popular in Kano. Even now, his popularity is 50/50 because previously, while we were in the ADC, we had people in Katsina, Jigawa and Kaduna, but those people refused to join us in the NDC and remained in the ADC,” Hanga said.
He further claimed that Obi’s electoral strength is concentrated in Anambra State and parts of the South.
Hanga, however, argued that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, stands a better chance of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the North-West and North-East.
He attributed his assessment to what he described as growing public dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration over insecurity and economic hardship.
The senator also indicated that his relationship with former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso had changed, saying he no longer considered Governor Yusuf’s decision to leave Kwankwaso and join the APC an act of betrayal.
“Now, if I leave Kwankwaso, nobody can say I betrayed anybody. If anyone says I betrayed someone, I will recommend that person be sent to Goron Dutse Prison or Dawanau Psychiatric Hospital,” he said.
Hanga maintained that he remained loyal to Kwankwaso after Governor Yusuf’s departure and accompanied the former governor across the country, insisting that taking a different political path now should not be interpreted as disloyalty.
His comments come amid mounting speculation that he is on the verge of joining the APC following his recent engagements with Governor Yusuf and the party’s national chairman.
Sources close to the senator said his relationship with Kwankwaso deteriorated after he lost the Kano Central senatorial ticket during the party’s primaries and was reportedly overlooked for the deputy governorship slot.
The NDC later selected Mustapha Kwankwaso, the eldest son of Rabiu Kwankwaso, as the running mate to its governorship candidate, Aminu Abdulsalam.
Hanga disclosed that he was outside Nigeria receiving medical treatment when the deputy governorship candidate was announced.
