How Kwankwaso betrayed North in 2023 – ADC factional chairman 

Nafiu Bala, a factional chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticised Rabiu Kwankwaso, a party chieftain and former Kano governor, alleging that he worked against northern interests ahead of the 2023 general election.

Kwankwaso had contested the presidential election under the platform of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).

He finished fourth in the race with 1,496,687 votes, trailing Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured second place with 6,984,520 votes.

Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling 8,794,726 votes.

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Kwankwaso defected from the NNPP to the ADC on March 30, 2026, following prolonged discussions with leaders of an opposition coalition.

Since July 2025, when the coalition took over the party’s leadership, the ADC has been grappling with internal divisions, as Bala and a faction led by David Mark both lay claim to its leadership.

The dispute later spilled into the courts, leading INEC to derecognise both factions on April 1, citing a March 12 ruling of the Court of Appeal.

In an interview with DCL Hausa that circulated on April 7, Kwankwaso said he had invited Bala for a meeting to resolve the leadership crisis, but the factional chairman did not attend.

“We had scheduled to meet yesterday, but despite waiting until morning, he did not show up. I had been warned he wouldn’t come, and his absence is truly disappointing. I want to share my message with you now so that if you meet him, you can deliver it on my behalf,” Kwankwaso said.

Responding in an interview with Premier Radio 102.7 FM, which gained traction on Thursday, Bala rejected Kwankwaso’s claim and took a swipe at his role in northern politics.

“Kwankwaso called to inform me that this is the way forward for the North, but I told him no. Anything concerning the North involving people like him is just useless talk,” he said.

“When the North actually needed your help, you betrayed it, you allowed yourselves to be used to destroy the region.”

Bala further stated that during the 2023 election, he and other stakeholders urged Kwankwaso to withdraw from the race in support of Abubakar to prevent a split in northern votes, but the former governor declined.

“Instead, he joined a minor party knowing fully well he couldn’t even secure Kano with it, just to split the Northern vote and hand the victory to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

“We won’t forget that. People like Kwankwaso shouldn’t call me to talk about the North. They only care about their personal interests; it is only after they fail that they come back pretending to be defenders of the North.”