Habibu Mohammed, spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, has dismissed reports of discontent and exclusion in the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries in Kano state, describing them as rumours aimed at creating division within the party.
Speaking during an interview with Trust TV, Mohammed said the party’s candidate selection process in the state complied with both NDC guidelines and the provisions of the Electoral Act.
His remarks come amid reports that some members of the NDC in Kano were aggrieved over the conduct of the party’s recently concluded primaries.
The controversy also fuelled speculation that former Kano governor and NDC vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was considering leaving the party over disagreements regarding the control of party structures in the state.
Former Bayelsa governor Seriake Dickson had said that the Kwankwasiyya and Obidient movements would be formally integrated into the NDC’s structures nationwide as part of efforts to strengthen party unity and mobilization ahead of the 2027 elections.
STAKEHOLDERS WERE CARRIED ALONG
Reacting to the controversy, Mohammed insisted that all stakeholders were carried along during the candidate selection process in Kano.
“There are time frames given by the party itself and there are also guidelines given by the Electoral Act as to when and how certain processes must take effect, and I believe the Kwankwasiyya, our national leader and the party stakeholders in Kano state have done justice to that,” he said.
According to him, the emergence of candidates was based on a consensus arrangement that involved both longstanding party members and recent defectors.
“We believe that a process was built where consensus candidates emerged across the state and within that process, there was never a candidate from anywhere that complained of any kind of exclusion,” he said.
“All candidates, those from the Kwankwasiyya and those that recently decamped from other political parties, participated in that process.”
He said the objective was to ensure the emergence of candidates capable of winning elections and strengthening the party.
“The real aim is to ensure that candidates who have the capacity to win elections and develop the party are the ones that emerge,” he said.
Mohammed added that no complaints were raised throughout the process and that the names of successful candidates were duly forwarded to the party leadership for necessary action.
“What we are hearing, we assume, is just a mere rumour,” he said.
“These are issues being peddled to create wrinkles within the party and slow down the momentum of the NDC in Kano and across the country.”
He also dismissed reports that Kwankwaso had threatened to leave the party.
“We believe at no point did our leader threaten to leave the party,” he said.
