2027 And Kano’s Unique Brand Of Politics – A news analysis
By Abdullahi Yusuf
There is a popular adage in the political spectrum of Kano that says:”SIYASAR KANO SAI KANO,” which simply means “Kano Politics Is Unique.”
Kano has been the political Hotbed of Northern Nigeria since the days of the defunct Northern Elements Progressive Union(NEPU) and the People’s Redemption Party(PRP),where politics is played with vigour,passion,drama and speed,to the envy of other States in the Nigerian Federation.
These innate qualities are presently playing out in Kano with the 2027 general elections just less than ten months away.The State has, since the onset of the year 2026,been witnessing mounting political activities preparatory to the all important polls.
The first major political event that heralded the new year then,was the defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from the New Nigeria People’s Party(NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress(APC) alongside most of his cabinet members, members of the State of Assembly and a good number of members of the House of Representatives.
Expectedly,His Deputy,Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo,did not follow him to the APC.He stayed in the NNPP.
Until January 23, 2026, when Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf moved to the APC,the political firmament in Kano State was dominated by two political parties,the NNPP and the APC,with the former in power and the latter in the opposition.
The situation quickly changed with the governor’s defection, putting the APC now in power and relegating the NNPP to the opposition, untill March 30,2026 when the NNPP became orphaned in the state with the defection of Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the Kwankwasiyya movement and his supporters to the African Democratic Congress(ADC).
These twin developments changed the political permutations in the state, throwing up new hopes, new prospects and new challenges for the political actors and the generality of their followers.
First,the defection of Governor Yusuf to the APC gave him an instant automatic ticket to contest in the 2027 governorship election.Secondly, it gave him the position of APC leader in the state.
The movement also enabled his former Commissioner of Water Resources,Haruna Umar Doguwa, to assume the chairmanship of the APC in the state, alongside other followers of the governor who clinched various executive positions in the party during its last congresses.
The recent resignation of the Deputy Governor of the state, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo,from his position, also added yet another momentum to the surging political activities in the state,as it opened fresh conversations as to who will fill the vacancy he left behind.
Three personalities are currently being speculated to be eyeing the position, namely,Hon.Murtala Sule Garo, the incumbent Speaker of the State House of Assembly,Hon. Ismaila Jibril Falgore,and Malam Salihu Sagir Takai.
Garo is believed to be enjoying the backing of the camp of former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje,while Falgore is reportedly being backed by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, and Takai is believed to be enjoying the support of the camp of the Deputy President of the Senate,Barau Jibrin.
Political observers posit that Falgore may carry the day,as he is also believed to enjoy the prompting of his constituency, the State House of Assembly.
Then, comes the ADC factor.The defection of Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso from the NNPP to the ADC alongside his followers most notable of whom include former Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, and Senator Rufa’i Hanga,has further widened the political permutations in the state.
The development has generated discussions that largely centre around the governorship ticket on the platform of the ADC,as the party takes roots in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In this conversation, three notables are in focus namely, former Deputy Governor,Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, Alhaji Ibrahim Al-Amin Little and the ADC governorship candidate in the 2023 elections in the state, Sheikh Ibrahim Khaleel.
There are also speculations that another former Deputy Governor of the state and the APC governorship candidate in the the 2023 elections,Dr.Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna,may join the race,as he has just dumped the APC and joined the ADC.
Analysts believe that Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo stands a better chance in this aspiration,in view of his long standing loyalty to the Kwankwasiyya movement and its leader,Sen.Rabi’u Kwankwaso, and his recent resignation as Deputy Governor to reaffirm his commitment to the Kwankwasiyya cause.
Meanwhile,the political atmosphere in the state is charging by the day,and the political actors are firing on all cylinders as they comply with the guidelines of INEC’s “Compressed” time table for the 2027 general elections.