An ex-senator, Kabiru Gaya, has lost the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) senatorial ticket for Kano South despite recently defecting to the opposition party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

PUNCH Online gathered that the party on Sunday adopted Kassim Batayya as its consensus candidate for the Kano South Senatorial District during a stakeholders’ meeting reportedly held at the Miller Road residence of former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

The development comes weeks after Gaya left the All Progressives Congress and aligned with the NDC amid political realignments in Kano State ahead of the 2027 elections.

Gaya had reportedly been positioning himself for a political comeback to the Senate under the platform of the NDC after dumping the APC and briefly joining the African Democratic Congress before moving to the NDC alongside Kwankwaso.

However, despite expectations that he would clinch the ticket, the party settled for Batayya during its primary process.

The announcement was disclosed by Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, in a Facebook post on Sunday, alongside a video clip showing Gaya endorsing Batayya as the party’s consensus candidate.

In the video, Gaya acknowledged that the decision was taken in his absence but said he accepted the outcome in the interest of unity within the party.

He said, “We are all working for the progress of the party. Although I was not present when the decision was taken, I have accepted it in good faith.”

Gaya added that politics is about sacrifice and understanding, stressing that what matters is the collective interest of the party and the future of Kano South.

PUNCH Online reports that the NDC has commenced primary congresses for Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly seats ahead of the 2027 elections.

Political observers believe the development may reshape the political landscape in Kano South, especially with ongoing realignments among the state’s major political blocs.

Gaya served as governor of Kano State during the Third Republic between 1992 and 1993, and later represented Kano South Senatorial District from 2015 to 2023 under the APC.

He lost his re-election bid in 2023 to Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, who later defected to the APC and is widely reported to have secured the ruling party’s ticket for 2027.