Mustapha Bala Dawaki, former Chief Of Staff to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has defected to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).

Dawaki, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa federal constituency in Kano State, reportedly left the APC barely a week after losing his return ticket through a consensus arrangement within the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

His defection was confirmed by Saifullahi Hassan, media aide to a leader in the NDC and prominent Kwankwasiyya figure, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

According to Hassan, the defection ceremony took place at the Kano Miller Rose residence of Kwankwaso, where Dawaki was formally received into the party.

“Leader Kwankwaso has today accepted the former Chief of Staff to the APC national chairman, Mustapha Bala Dawaki (Mai Gidan Ruwa), into the NDC Kwankwasiyya,” he wrote on his verified Facebook page.

The development comes as the NDC continues its internal process of selecting candidates for various elective positions across the state through consensus arrangements.

However, it remains unclear whether Dawaki will be granted an automatic ticket to contest under the new platform.

Party officials are yet to issue an official statement on the defection.