Also, Kano SDP 2023 governorship candidate, Bala Gwagwarawa, members of the State Working Committee, 38 local government chairmen and secretaries, 13 state assembly, and 6 House of Representatives candidates also abandoned the party for APC. The SDP chieftains’ defection was formalised at an event held in Abuja on Tuesday, marking a significant shift in the state’s political landscape. Addressing the defectors, Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, described the massive defection as a blow to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who had recently joined the SDP ahead of the 2027 elections. Barau said: “Those traversing the nation, trying to build the SDP into a viable platform to rival the APC in 2027, have failed utterly.