RismadarVoice Reporters, May 22, 2026
A member of the Kano State House of Assembly representing Gwale Constituency, Abdulmajid Mai Rigar Fata, has defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress following his failure to secure the APC return ticket ahead of the next election cycle.
The lawmaker was formally received on Thursday by former Kano State governor and NDC leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at his Maitama residence in Abuja.
The development was disclosed in a statement shared by Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, via Facebook.
According to the statement, Mai Rigar Fata joined the NDC alongside a former Vice Chairman of Gwale Local Government, Kabiru Sani Auwal Obi, and Mahadi Isa Umar.
The lawmaker, who represents Gwale Local Government Area — the home base of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf — was first elected into the Assembly in 2023 under the New Nigeria Peoples Party before later defecting to the APC.
Reports indicated that his latest defection followed his inability to secure the APC ticket to return to the state Assembly.
The development comes amid growing political realignments across the country following controversies surrounding recent APC primaries, where several serving lawmakers reportedly lost return tickets or were disqualified from participating in the exercise.
The defection also followed a Federal High Court ruling delivered on Thursday, which reportedly opened the door for politicians seeking to move to alternative political platforms ahead of future elections.
Reacting to the judgment, the spokesman for the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling could trigger mass defections from the ruling APC.
According to him, the judgment removed restrictions affecting politicians seeking alternative platforms to contest elections and would strengthen freedom of association.
