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.
The lawmaker, who represents Gwale Local Government Area, the home base of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, 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 Facebook post by Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan.
Hassan wrote, “Today, Thursday, May 21, 2026, His Excellency, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, welcomed Hon. Abdulmajid Isa Umar Mai Rigar Fata, member representing Gwale Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, following his defection from the APC to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), at his residence in Maitama, Abuja.
“Also received were Hon. Kabiru Sani Auwal Obi, former Vice Chairman of Gwale Local Government, and Malam Mahadi Isa Umar, who joined the party alongside him.”
Mai Rigar Fata was first elected into the Assembly in 2023 on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party before later joined the APC alongside Governor Yusuf.
According to Daily Trust, the latest defection followed his failure to secure the APC ticket to seek re-election to the Assembly.
The move came hours after a Federal High Court ruling on Thursday paved the way for politicians seeking to defect to alternative political platforms ahead of the elections.
Reacting to the judgment, the spokesman for the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling could trigger mass defections from the APC.
“The decision of the court on these issues, including those that directly contradict the Constitution, is therefore a welcome vindication of our position,” the party stated.
The ADC added that the judgment, which it said removed restrictions affecting politicians seeking alternative platforms to contest elections, would strengthen freedom of association.
“We believed at the time that that particular restriction was designed to prevent people from leaving the ruling party, APC. Now that the court has ruled against it, we are sure that, in the coming days, we will witness a mass exodus from the ruling party,” the statement added.
