The internal crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kebbi State has intensified after three aggrieved candidates rejected allegations that they were working to undermine the party’s governorship candidate, Abubakar Malami.
The candidates — Abubakar Sadiq Sa’adu Fakai, Muhammad Umar and Nafiu Bello Shuwa — are currently challenging their alleged replacement after claiming they emerged as candidates from the party’s primaries.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the politicians dismissed suggestions that they were sponsored to create divisions within the party or frustrate Malami’s governorship campaign. They said their dispute was strictly about what they described as the loss of their electoral mandates.
“For clarification’s sake, we are not fighting Malami, ADC, or anybody, but we remain undeterred in our legal struggle to reclaim our stolen mandates,” the candidates said.
The group further alleged that some documents, including affidavits purportedly showing that they had voluntarily withdrawn their candidacies, were forged.
Speaking on behalf of the candidates, Fakai said the allegations of sponsorship would not prevent them from pursuing their cases through the courts. He maintained that they were exercising their legal rights as candidates who believe their mandates were unlawfully taken from them.
Fakai also argued that if the alleged forgery is established, the matter would extend beyond an internal party disagreement and could have legal consequences.
The development comes at a sensitive period for the ADC as the party builds its structure ahead of the 2027 general elections. Malami recently inaugurated a 600-member campaign council in Kebbi and called for unity and issue-based politics.
The dispute has also entered the courts. A Federal High Court in Abuja recently ordered parties involved in a related Kebbi ADC candidate-substitution case to maintain the status quo, with the substantive matter scheduled for further hearing.
The allegations of forgery and claims of unlawful candidate replacement remain contested and have not been conclusively established by the court.
The outcome of the legal proceedings could have implications for the ADC’s candidate structure and its preparations for the 2027 elections in Kebbi State.
