The Nigeria Democratic Congress (Nigeria Democratic Congress) has selected Kassim Batayya as its consensus candidate for the Kano South senatorial seat, excluding former senator Kabiru Gaya from the final decision.
Gaya, who previously represented Kano South in the Senate from 2015 to 2023 under the All Progressives Congress (All Progressives Congress), had recently returned to active political competition after leaving the party on 5 April. He first moved to the African Democratic Congress (African Democratic Congress) before aligning with the NDC alongside Rabiu Kwankwaso (Rabiu Kwankwaso).
He had indicated interest in returning to the Senate under the new platform, but was not selected during the party’s internal consensus meeting held in Kano.
The decision was reached at a gathering hosted at Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence, where party leaders agreed on Batayya as the preferred candidate for the 2027 senatorial race.
Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, confirmed the outcome in a social media post and later circulated a video showing Gaya endorsing the decision. In the video, Gaya noted that he was not present when the consensus was reached but accepted the party’s position.
The development effectively ends Gaya’s attempt to return to the Senate seat he lost in 2023 to Kawu Sumaila (Kawu Sumaila), who has since moved to the APC and secured nomination ahead of the next election cycle.
The Kano chapter of the NDC is continuing its screening and selection process across senatorial districts, House of Representatives, and state assembly constituencies ahead of the 2027 general elections.
