Senator Rufai Sani Hanga has dismissed speculation that he is planning to defect from the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that he remains committed to his party despite recent meetings with top APC leaders, including President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during a local radio programme in Kano on Tuesday, Hanga stated that he had not made any decision to leave the NDC.
“I still remain a member of NDC and I have not yet made any plans of decamping out,” he said.
Despite reaffirming his loyalty to the party, the senator expressed doubts about the NDC’s chances of winning the 2027 presidential election, arguing that it lacks the national acceptance and political strength needed to unseat the APC.
“NDC will lose Nigeria. They can’t make any impact, but I’m certain they will win Kano. This I know, and as for me, I still remain a member of my party,” Hanga said.
Addressing his relationship with the party’s national leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Hanga said they still maintain mutual respect despite recent political developments.
He also disclosed details of how the NDC’s governorship ticket in Kano was decided. According to him, the party’s chairman, Hussaini Isa Mairiga, informed him that Kwankwaso was considering endorsing his son, Mustapha Kwankwaso, for the governorship.
Hanga said he responded by asking Mairiga to tell Kwankwaso that he was willing to serve as Mustapha’s campaign manager.
“I bade them farewell and also told him (Mairiga) to tell Kwankwaso that I was ready to be his son’s campaign manager. Since then, I did not hear anything from them,” he recalled.
He further revealed that a few days later, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo met him in Abuja and informed him that Kwankwaso had chosen him as the party’s governorship candidate, while offering Hanga the deputy governorship position.
Although he viewed the offer as a demotion, Hanga said he accepted it in the interest of the party. However, he later discovered that Mustapha Kwankwaso had instead been selected as Gwarzo’s running mate.
“Although I knew it was a demotion, I accepted, but then I just heard that he (Kwankwaso) has made his son, Mustapha, the governor’s running mate,” Hanga stated.
His remarks come amid ongoing speculation over possible defections ahead of the 2027 general elections and renewed debate over internal democracy and succession within the NDC.
