The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State has settled on Alhaji Muhammad Sani Abacha, son of former military Head of State General Sani Abacha, as its candidate for the 2027 governorship election following the withdrawal of its earlier nominee, Muhammad Bello Dalha.

Abacha emerged through a replacement primary conducted by the party on Wednesday after Dalha stepped aside from the race, paving the way for a fresh process to select the party’s standard-bearer.

The development was announced at an expanded meeting of the Kano State PDP executive committee, where the party chairman, Dr Bello Gambo Bichi, explained that the replacement exercise became necessary following the withdrawal of the candidate who had initially won the party’s primary.

According to Bichi, the party had earlier conducted a governorship primary in which Dalha emerged as the winner. He said subsequent consultations involving party stakeholders in Kano and Abuja led to Dalha’s decision to withdraw from the contest.

He explained that electoral requirements and the party’s constitution provided for a new process whenever a nominated candidate withdraws, leading to Wednesday’s replacement primary.

The exercise was overseen by a panel chaired by Dr Abba Abdullahi, who subsequently declared Abacha the winner after the candidate fulfilled the requirements for nomination.

The panel chairman said the exercise was conducted in accordance with the party’s guidelines and applicable electoral regulations, bringing the PDP’s candidate-selection process in Kano to a close.

Beyond selecting its governorship candidate, the party also used the occasion to announce a reconciliation arrangement aimed at ending the factional disputes that have affected the Kano PDP.

As part of the agreement, the deputy governorship slot was allocated to the group associated with former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.

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Consequently, Alhaji Yusuf Ado Kibiya, a former factional chairman of the party and former commissioner for land and agriculture in Kano, was announced as the new deputy governorship candidate.

Bichi said the decision followed extensive consultations among the different groups within the party and was intended to bring an end to the factional crisis.

“After wide consultation and reconciliation, we agreed to give the deputy governorship slot to the Turaki faction here in Kano. With this, there is no more faction in Kano PDP. We have reconciled,” he said.

The party chairman added that the reconciliation arrangement also affected the distribution of other elective positions, with some candidates for the National Assembly and Kano State House of Assembly being replaced to accommodate members of the previously opposing faction.

He said the process was witnessed by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stressing that the party had now resolved its internal differences and was entering the next electoral cycle as a united organisation.

Abacha is no stranger to the Kano governorship race, having contested the position in previous elections. In the 2023 governorship election, he finished third behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) secured victory.

His latest emergence means the PDP will once again place its governorship campaign in Kano under his leadership, this time against the backdrop of a party seeking to rebuild its structures and settle its internal differences ahead of the 2027 election.