By Ibrahim Adam
For years, Bagwai and Shanono stood as the crown jewel of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano politics. This was no ordinary constituency. It was a fortress where the APC power brokers reigned supreme, where opposition parties hardly dared to dream of victory, and where loyalty to the APC was taken as a given.
It was from this soil that Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin drew his strength. It was the home base of former governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, a political field where Murtala Sule Garo cut his teeth, and a theatre that echoed with the influence of A.T.M. Gwarzo, former deputy governor and minister.
Add to that the federal lawmakers Abba Bichi, Baban Gandu, Engr. Sani Bala and you had a political fortress fortified with APC’s might. For decades, Bagwai/Shanono was a constituency where APC strutted with confidence, brushing aside opponents and consolidating its dominance.
The late Halilu Ibrahim Kundila, who represented the area until his death in April 2024, was one of those who embodied that dominance. When his death created a vacancy, most believed the rerun election was a formality—APC’s to win, as always.
But on Saturday, history was rewritten as NNPP’s Dr. Ali Kiyawa didn’t just win the Bagwai/Shanono State Assembly seat, he dismantled APC’s myth of invincibility.
With a thumping 16,198 votes, he left APC’s Ahmad Kadamu stranded on 5,347 votes. The difference of 10,851 votes was not a simple loss; it was a humiliation.
For a party that once boasted of unrivaled support, the figures were staggering. In the very heart of APC’s kingdom, the people voted massively for NNPP, reducing APC to a bystander. The margin told the story of a people tired of empty promises, ready to embrace change.
”This is the home of Barau, Ganduje, and Garo,” an NNPP supporter declared, waving a red cap in celebration. “If APC can be disgraced here, then their so-called strongholds elsewhere are already shaking.”
From Fortress to Ruins
For years, APC treated Bagwai/Shanono as a private estate, confident that their control was unshakable. Election after election, they swept through the area, often leaving their opponents in despair.
It was the stage from which they displayed their muscle in Kano North, the yardstick of their influence.
But Saturday’s result turned that fortress into ruins. APC’s arrogance met the reality of the ballot box. Voters who once bowed to the party’s dominance turned their backs, aligning with NNPP and its promise of new beginnings under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the Kwankwasiyya movement.
The humiliation is even sharper when viewed against the personalities involved.
Barau Jibrin is Deputy Senate President; Ganduje was the national chairman of APC; Murtala Garo, once the strongman of Ganduje’s government, has deep grassroots connections. Yet, despite this formidable line-up, APC could not stop the NNPP tide.
The Humbling of a Giant
For APC, the defeat in Bagwai/Shanono is more than a lost seat—it is a lesson in humility. To lose in your backyard, in the constituency that symbolizes your strength, is the greatest embarrassment for any political machine.
This was not a narrow contest. It was a blowout. APC didn’t just lose; it was humiliated. The party that once bragged of unbeatable dominance was reduced to begging for relevance in its own stronghold.
One political analyst put it bluntly: “This was not an election. It was an execution. NNPP buried APC in its own home.”
The NNPP Wave
For the NNPP, the victory is a trophy of political war. It signals that the Kwankwasiyya movement is not only alive but surging with energy.
The people’s verdict was clear: they trust Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s leadership more than the recycled promises of APC.
The chants that filled the air captured the mood:
Kano ta Arewa; daga nan Barau ya fito, amma yau an karya APC! (Northern Kano; this is Barau’s home, but today APC has been broken!)
The symbolism is undeniable. By snatching Bagwai/Shanono, NNPP has shown it can humble giants, dismantle strongholds, and redraw Kano’s political map.
The Bigger Picture
The APC managed to announce what it called a consolation victory in Ghari/Tsanyawa.
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But the NNPP has firmly rejected the outcome, declaring that it was the rightful winner and vowing not to allow the matter to slide.
For the NNPP, the real picture remains unchanged: the APC’s grip on Kano is slipping, and Bagwai/Shanono stands as proof that the ruling party is no longer invincible.
Reflections and Lesson
APC’s fall in Bagwai/Shanono is a reminder that political power is not permanent. No matter how mighty a party appears, no matter how decorated its leaders, the people remain the ultimate kingmakers.
The voters of Bagwai/Shanono have taught APC a bitter lesson: that arrogance and complacency can turn a fortress into rubble.
They have also sent a message to Kano and Nigeria at large—that the era of unquestioned dominance is fading, and that people now demand performance, not rhetoric.
For NNPP, this victory is not just about numbers—it is about symbolism. It is about humbling a giant in its own backyard.
It is about proving that change is not just possible, but inevitable. And for APC, Bagwai/Shanono will forever remain a scar—a reminder of how a once-mighty fortress fell in a single day.
Adam is the Special Adviser to Kano state governor on Information