By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the winner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary election, securing a commanding majority of the votes cast, according to official results announced by the party.

Mr Abubakar polled 1,846,370 votes out of a total of 2,527,977 votes cast, defeating his two main challengers: former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatudeen.

Mr Amaechi finished a distant second with 504,117 votes, while Mr Hayatudeen came third with 177,120 votes.

However, the primary election was immediately mired in controversy, as both Mr Amaechi and Mr Hayatudeen rejected the outcome, alleging widespread electoral malpractice. The two candidates had earlier condemned the process even before the final results were announced.

The result positions Mr Abubakar as the ADC’s flag bearer for the upcoming presidential election, though the dispute over the credibility of the primary could foreshadow legal or internal party challenges in the days ahead.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Rabiu Kwankwaso, the influential leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, is set  select former Kano State deputy governor Aminu Abdussalam as the consensus governorship candidate for the National Democratic Council (NDC) in the upcoming state election, multiple sources confirm.

The choice, which followed days of closed-door consultations, sidelines a prominent contender and has sparked internal debate over the party’s electoral strategy in the fiercely contested state.

Abdussalam, who resigned as deputy governor in March after the Kano State House of Assembly issued an impeachment notice, was chosen for what insiders describe as his “uncommon commitment and sacrifice” to the movement.

Initially, Nasiru Gawuna — the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2023 election — was widely seen as a strong frontrunner for the ticket. But Kwankwaso ultimately backed Abdussalam on Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the deliberations.

Kwankwaso offered Gawuna either the deputy governorship slot or the Kano Central Senatorial ticket as an alternative, sources said. Gawuna declined both.

“He told Kwankwaso that he joined the Kwankwasiyya movement unconditionally and would not leave simply because he didn’t get the top slot,” one source told DAILY NIGERIAN.

The delay in announcing Abdussalam reflected mounting pressure from influential figures who argued that Gawuna offered a stronger path to defeating incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf.

Pro-Gawuna insiders pointed to zoning as the deciding factor. Yusuf, like Gawuna, hails from Kano Central — the zone that typically delivers the largest vote share.

“First, Gawuna is very popular in Kano Central, where the majority of votes come from,” an anonymous insider said. “Since Abba is from Kano Central and is serving his first term, the best solution is to field a candidate from the same zone so the zone may not feel shortchanged.”

The source drew a parallel to the NDC’s national strategy of zoning the presidency to the South while a southern president serves his first term.

Abdussalam’s supporters, however, prevailed by emphasizing loyalty over electoral math, arguing that the former deputy governor’s sacrifices for the movement could not be overlooked.

Formal announcement of Abdussalam as the consensus candidate is expected imminently, barring any last-minute reversal.

Former member, representing Fagge federal constituency at the House of Representatives, Aminu Suleiman Goro has pledged to continue distributing job offers the way he did during his past times as lawmaker.

Goro, the candidate of National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Fagge federal constituency in the 2027 elections, made the pledge in an interview with newsmen in Kano on Wednesday.

According to Goro, who was the Chairman, House Committee on Tertiary Institutions during his time at the green chamber, he had distributed a lot of job offers to the youths in his constituency as part of his drive to human development.

Fondly called “Mai Gonar Offer”, literally means the owner of farm that produces job offers, added that that he would continue provide a lot of job opportunities toll youths at his constituency, as he had already begun exploring ways in that regard.

“As called ” Mai Gonar Offer”, i have already begun exploring hectares of land to cultivate job offers. This is something i am known for.

” I will continue from where i stopped many of those that secured federal jobs through me have attained the level of Director as their respective places of work. We will continue to build more people because that is the ideology of Kwankwasiyya,” Goro stated.

He expressed gratitude to the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, reaffirming his loyalty to the former governor of Kano state.

I thank Almighty Allah for giving me another opportunity under the leadership of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. I also appreciate all his associates and supporters for their confidence in me,” he said.

Reacting to rumours that he could betray Kwankwaso if elected into office, the former lawmaker dismissed the claims as baseless, saying he decided to join Kwankwasiyya when its leader lost a government from the defection of governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

“That is not true. We supported Kwankwaso even when he was not in government. Our loyalty is not because of political office or power. We joined him because we believe in his leadership and ideology. If it is for political interest, i would have rejoined with Kwankwaso at the inception of administration of governor Abba Kabir Yusuf,” he said.

Goro assured the constituents of Fagge that his political camp would not only revive its past achievements but would also improve on them while defending the interests of the local government, Kano State, and the Kwankwasiyya ideology.

“By the grace of Allah, we will not only restore what we were known for, but we will also improve on it. We will continue to protect the interests of our people and the Kwankwasiyya movement, which is a movement for the common man,” he stated.

According to him, the Kwankwasiyya movement is rooted in Kano’s political history and inspired by the late Aminu Kano, whom he described as the ideological foundation of the movement.

“This ideology was inherited from Kano State. From Kano came leaders like Malam Aminu Kano, and in this generation, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso represents that same political philosophy,” Goro added.

Goro also expressed optimism that the NDC would win elections at all levels in 2027, attributing the success to the party’s ideology and manifesto.

“We are united in Kano and fully committed to supporting Kwankwaso politically. By Allah’s grace, the NDC will form government from top to bottom,” he said.