Abdulaziz Umar Ganduje, the eldest son of former Kano State governor and immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has joined the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and obtained the party’s nomination form to contest for the House of Representatives.
Abdulaziz is seeking to represent the Dawakin Tofa/Tofa/Rimin Gado Federal Constituency in Kano State ahead of the next general election.
His decision is already stirring political conversations in Kano, especially because he has long been associated with the Kwankwasiyya political movement led by former Kano governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, despite his father’s years of dominance within the APC.
A viral video circulating online showed Abdulaziz in a meeting with Kwankwaso shortly after obtaining the nomination form.
Meanwhile, during the meeting, he was said to have briefed the former governor on his political ambition and preparations for the contest.
The development marks another dramatic twist in the prolonged political rivalry between Ganduje and Kwankwaso, whose once-close alliance collapsed years ago after both men emerged as opposing power blocs in Kano politics.
However, Abdulaziz has remained politically distant from his father’s camp for years and has openly identified with the Kwankwasiyya movement.
His political leaning became more pronounced following his involvement in a controversial dispute with his mother, Prof Hafsat Umar Ganduje, whom he reportedly petitioned to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged failed agreement.
Abdulaziz is now seeking the same House of Representatives seat contested by his younger brother, Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, under the APC in the 2023 general election.
Despite the influence wielded by Ganduje as Kano governor at the time, Umar lost the election to the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), further underscoring the growing strength of the Kwankwasiyya movement in parts of the state.
