Former APC Chief of Staff to the National Chairman joins the NDC after losing the 2027 nomination.

Mustapha Bala Dawaki, the former Chief of Staff to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has joined the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).

The former House of Representatives member from Kano State defected to the opposition party just one week after he lost the APC ticket for the 2027 election, a decision made by consensus.

Saifullahi Hassan, a media assistant to NDC leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya Movement, confirmed the move on Monday.

Hassan said the defection was formalised at Kwankwaso’s residence in Kano, the Miller Rose house.

“Today, Leader Kwankwaso welcomed Mustapha Bala Dawaki, who used to be the Chief of Staff to the APC National Chairman, to the NDC Kwankwasiyya,” Hassan wrote on his official Facebook page.

The defection comes as the NDC seeks to agree on candidates for various elective positions in Kano State.

It remains unclear whether Dawaki will automatically receive a party ticket to run for office.