… As Idris Durkwa, Sheriff Banki, and others take the lead

As the race for the 2027 general elections gathers momentum, with recent inauguration of the interim national Chairman of the coalition party (African Democratic Party/ADC), David Mark, the former Nigerian Senate President and a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP stalwart now leading the coalition movement to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his ruling party (APC), there was a massive defection into ADC in Borno state.

A video trending on some social media platforms indicated that Mattawali Kashim Ibrahim Imam, a former PDP Governorship candidate and APC stalwart in Borno, had a special dinner at his Maiduguri residence recently, where sources said the gathering also featured discussions with many political bigwigs in the state regarding preparations to join the ADC.

Recall that Nigeria’s two main opposition leaders, former presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, have joined the new political party after breaking away from their respective parties recently.

This is even as Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has dismissed speculation in some sections of the online media that he would lead five other governors in defecting to the opposition coalition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In Borno state, our Correspondent observed that, Alh. Idris Mamman Durkwa, a former Governorship aspirant and Hon. Sheriff Banki, a youth mobiliser and stakeholder advocate among others have since taken the lead, as they all dumped their party, PDP with thousands of their supporters, families and associates and pitched tent with ADC.

READ ALSO: Coalition Won’t Be Easy, But We’re Ready – Mark

It was also gathered that, Durkwa, a retired federal civil servant turned politician who stormed Maiduguri last week was leading the massive defections in the state, as many people from different opposition parties including the ruling APC have started tendering their resignation to their ward chairmen.

Amonst them include, Hon. Mohammed Umara Kumalia, former House minority leader and Governorship aspirant and 2023 Borno Central Senatorial Candidate on the platform of the PDP.

Others are, Alh. Saleh Kida, PDP 2023 Deputy Governorship candidate, Alh. Ali Wurge Former PDP national treasurer, Hon. Babakura Abba Yusuf, 2023 House of Representative candidate in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, MMC, Hon. Abdulrazaq Ahmed Zanna, 2023 PDP candidate for Bama, Ngala, Kala Balge federal constituency and other House of Representative candidates.

Also on the list of early defectors are Hon. Maina Justice, who is a leader of stakeholders in Jere local government area, Hon. Fali Wubulari, former House of Assembly member (Askira Uba LGA state constituency) and many Candidates in the opposition parties for House of assemblies in all the 27 local government areas.

READ ALSO: Coalition: Why Tinubu Must Not Sleep —Primate Ayodele

Likewise Hon. Isa Lawan Kangar, Borno North 2023 Senatorial candidate, all Ward and local Government party executives, 95% opposition Party stakeholders with their former party executives at state, local Government and ward levels have equally jumped ships.

Speaking on the development to our Correspondent in Maiduguri, Hon. Sheriff Banki, a youth mobiliser and stakeholder advocate for the movement (coaltion) said, the wave of defection into the ADC was a clear indication of a failed APC under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He also faulted PDP leadership for allowing the party which was one of the greatest political party in Africa to loose its followership and acceptability due to selfish interests.

The youth leader specifically alleged that ‘the Borno PDP under the Chairmanship of Hon. Zanna Gadama has remained compromised and sellout to the powers that be, thereby forcing its teaming members to quit’.

READ ALSO: Only A Formidable Coalition Can Salvage Nigeria, Says Peter Obi

Banki also attributed the move to what he termed ‘Economic hardship and frustration by electorate at the local, state and national level and the worsening insecurity bedevilling Nigerians’.

His words: “I am happy to inform you that the massive defection and resignation by prominent members of the opposition parties including the ruling APC as being witnessed recently in Borno state is a beginning to good things happening in the political industry in the state and the country as a whole.

“Nigerians, especially the grassroots have been promised Renewed Hope Agenda by President Tinubu, unfortunately, in the last two years into the APC -led government, the reverse is the case, as people no longer sleep with their two eyes closed, despite facing economic hardships due to bad policies and programmes”. Banki stated.

He therefore enjoined the good people of the state to join ADC which is the only political party that is determined to run a democracy of inclusivity and salvaging it’s people.

(VANGUARD)

One of the foremost promoters of the anti-Tinubu coalition in the African Democratic Congress ADC, Salihu Moh. Lukman has declared that the party will not hand over its structures to any of its leading lights who might be seeking the party’s ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

While a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared his interest in flying the party’s flags, former vice president Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party LP Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi are speculated to also have an interest in securing the ticket.

Lukman who was a guest on Jigsaw, a programme on the African Independent Television AIT monitored Tuesday in Abuja, said the plan is to build the structures of the ADC in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win elections and assume positions.

He said the coalition did not go into the ADC arrangement with its eyes closed or desperate to have a political party. “We took our time. We did not negotiate with just one individual, we negotiated with the whole leadership”.

“What we are telling everybody in the coalition is that the structures of the party will not be handed over to aspiring candidates.

“We have to build the structures of the party in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win office and assume positions”, he stated.

READ ALSO: 97 Lawyers Line Up To Defend ADC, Mark, Aregbesola Against APC’s ‘Fake Lawsuit’

On how the coalition scaled all the legal hurdles before unveiling ADC as its political platform, Lukman said; “I can tell you that we opened negotiations with a wide range of parties and we went through processes including conducting legal due diligence on the status of both the leadership and if there were any pending litigations. In the process, we were also able to check with INEC and get all the substantive issues.

“I can tell you, some of the issues being raised in the public about some of the litigations, there are issues which, even by INEC records, if you go there, you will find out that they have been resolved long ago.

“At a point, we even had to sit down with all the members, in fact more than once, all the members of the National Working Committee of ADC”.

The former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC also disclosed that the ADC 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu was no longer a member of the party.

He said; “I want to make it very clear and if you check with INEC, you will find out that even the Dumebi Kachikwu, who came out to make noise, by the records of INEC, based on the Certified True Copies of proceedings of organs, legitimate organs of the ADC, Dumebi Kachikwu and some others, I think about 15 of them, had been expelled from the party. I can’t remember exactly when. So, we didn’t go into this blindly.

READ ALSO: ADC, A Coalition Of Failed Politicians – Wike

“We were very clear that we were on very safe ground, and proceeding further, we are not supplanting the leadership of ADC. We have accepted to work with them as partners, they are stakeholders and I am sure in not too distant time from now, the interim leadership of the party led by Senator David Mark and Aregbesola will release possible guidelines to guide the position at the state level and how the whole reorganization of the structures of the party will proceed.

“So, I want to make it very clear, we are not approaching this activity based on the conventional process of just going to hijack a structure and begin to organize it in such a way we produce candidates and this led me to the critical point and I think we have to continue to talk to ourselves as members of the coalition we came this far largely because we have appealed to all our leaders to please suspend expression of their ambitions until we are able to build structures.

“We have succeeded so far, which is why we are able to have the unity you have seen and I think that suspension of expression of ambitions has to continue. I can see some leaders have already become hyper-reactive.

“The coalition and 2027 are not all about producing candidates who will end up producing another disappointment, which is basically about producing unaccountable leaders and if care is not taken, also producing another set of emperors as elected representatives who will not listen to the party just the same way we have a situation where leaders of APC today don’t do not even respect the party”, he said.

READ ALSO: ADC, A Coalition Of Failed Politicians – Wike

Lukman also revealed that there is no difference between the All Democratic Alliance ADA and ADC, adding that both the ADC and ADA were decisions of the coalition.

“A special committee was set up by the coalition and it was based on the determination that we are not going to leave anything unturned to ensure that by 2027, we present an option to Nigerians. We are not going to allow a situation where the country is set up for a one-party state.

“So we spread our tentacles and ensured that we went ahead and mandate the committee to put up the application.

“All we can say is that whatever happens, Nigerians will have an option. Our right as Nigerians as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria to participate in elections will be exercised beyond the confines of the APC. We are not going to allow a situation where the country is set up for a one-party state”, he said.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has assembled a team of 97 lawyers to challenge what it describes as the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s ‘fake lawsuit’ against its interim leadership, including former Senate President David Mark and former Minister Rauf Aregbesola.

The legal team, led by Barrister Mohammed Sheriff, made this known in Abuja on Tuesday, accusing the ruling APC of filing a suit using the names of individuals who are not members of the ADC.

This development follows a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja between Senator Mark, who is now the ADC’s Interim National Chairman, and the party’s Kogi State chapter.

‘We Are Equal Stakeholders’

At the meeting, Mark assured Nigerians that under his leadership, the ADC would operate with total transparency and would not favour any presidential aspirant.

READ ALSO: Coalition: Why Tinubu Must Not Sleep —Primate Ayodele

“I don’t own this party more than any other member… All Nigerians must come together and take ownership of the ADC,” he said.

He urged party members to set aside their differences and focus on building a united political force, warning that Nigeria’s democracy could fail if citizens remained passive.

The ADC chairman also criticised the APC, saying the ruling party should focus on fixing its own policy failures rather than targeting individuals.

“If they admitted that insecurity was bad and promised to improve it but instead made it worse, should Nigerians continue to support them? The answer is no,” he said.

READ ALSO: Coalition Illogical, Driven By Personal Ambition – Bode George

APC Accused of ‘Machiavellian Politics’
The ADC alleged that the APC had fabricated names in its lawsuit against the party’s interim leadership.

According to the ADC, investigations showed that the supposed plaintiffs in the suit were not registered members of the party in either Kogi or Nasarawa State.

“It smacks of desperation that a party entrusted with leading 200 million Nigerians would engage in such dishonesty,” the party said.

READ ALSO: ADC, A Coalition Of Failed Politicians – Wike

Mark used the occasion to call for national unity and encouraged Nigerians to support the ADC’s vision of a reformed and people-centred democracy.

“Let us work together to rebuild this nation for future generations,” he urged.

Barrister Sheriff, head of the ADC’s national legal support team, confirmed that 97 lawyers had volunteered to take up the case.

“We are fully prepared to defend the ADC and its leaders against this politically motivated attack,” he said.