Senator Aminu Tambuwal, the lawmaker representing the Sokoto South Senatorial District, has withdrawn from the 2027 senatorial race, stepping aside in favor of former House of Representatives Speaker and diplomat Faruk Yabo.
Faruk Yabo was endorsed as the African Democratic Congress’s consensus candidate for the seat.
In the same breath, Tambuwal‘s former Deputy Governor, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, who also holds the traditional title of Walin Sokoto, has emerged as the ADC’s consensus governorship candidate for Sokoto State, completing what appears to be a carefully orchestrated ticket assembled under Tambuwal’s political direction.
The developments follow Tambuwal’s dramatic defection from the Peoples Democratic Party in March 2026, when he cited persistent internal crises, leadership disagreements, and deepening divisions as reasons for his exit.
His entry into the ADC was not without friction; a faction within the party questioned whether proper membership procedures had been followed, yet Tambuwal’s influence proved strong enough to shape the party’s candidate selections regardless.
This is not the first time the former Sokoto governor has chosen strategic retreat over personal ambition. In the 2023 presidential primaries, he stepped down from his presidential bid in favor of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a pattern that now appears to define his political style, sacrificing the spotlight to retain control behind the scenes.
With incumbent Governor Ahmed Aliyu positioned for a second term on the APC platform and the PDP still struggling with internal fractures, the ADC’s united front under Tambuwal’s quiet orchestration sets the stage for what promises to be one of the most fiercely contested political battles in Sokoto State’s recent history ahead of 2027.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Sokoto State’s 2027 political landscape has been dramatically reshaped by Senator Aminu Tambuwal’s strategic withdrawal from the senatorial race, positioning himself as a behind-the-scenes power broker rather than a candidate.
By stepping aside and endorsing Faruk Yabo for the Senate and his former deputy, Manir Dan’iya, for the governorship under the ADC platform, Tambuwal is effectively orchestrating a coordinated political comeback not for himself, but through trusted allies.
