THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, on Wednesday night visited Senator Rufa’i Sani Hanga, the lone Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) senator representing Kano State, at his residence in Abuja.
News Point Nigeria reports that the meeting, according to the Senator’s Media Aide, Umar Saminu Mai-Adashi, was cordial and constructive, with both leaders exchanging views on issues of national importance.
Mai-Adashi, in a post on his verified Facebook page, said the discussions centred on Nigeria’s political landscape, strengthening democratic engagement and advancing national development.
“Discussions focused on Nigeria’s political landscape and ways of strengthening democratic engagement and national development,” he wrote.
The visit has further fuelled speculation over Senator Hanga’s next political move, coming at a time the lawmaker has openly expressed reservations over what he described as unfair treatment within the NDC.
Hanga, who was once a strong ally of former Kano State governor and NDC Vice Presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and a prominent figure in the Kwankwasiyya movement, has in recent days voiced dissatisfaction with his treatment in the party.
The senator had complained that he was excluded from the party’s consensus candidate lists, a development that effectively shut him out of the senatorial race.
Following the disagreement, APC leaders have intensified efforts to woo Hanga, portraying Kwankwaso’s actions as a betrayal of loyal associates who stood by him politically over the years.
Earlier on Tuesday, a powerful APC delegation led by the party’s Kano State Vice Chairman, Salisu Maje Ahmad Gwangwazo, visited the senator and held discussions aimed at persuading him to join the ruling party.
Although the APC did not promise Hanga its senatorial ticket, the party assured him that he would be treated “fairly” if he joined its fold.
The ruling party is also seeking to strengthen its political grip on Kano State following the defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to the APC, a move that Hanga recently praised publicly.
While Senator Hanga has not formally announced any decision to leave the NDC, Wednesday’s meeting with the APC national chairman is being viewed by political observers as a significant indication of a possible realignment.
The senator’s current Kano Central seat has already been allocated to Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, while the Deputy Governorship slot earlier speculated to have been reserved for him has reportedly been given to Senator Kwankwaso’s biological son, Mustapha Rabi’u Kwankwaso.
With his political future hanging in the balance, all eyes remain on Hanga as the Kano political landscape continues to witness fresh alignments and shifting alliances.