By Joy Dennis

The fight for control of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), particularly over its Adamawa governorship ticket, has pitted former Vice President and presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal. Lawal, who exited the party after its presidential primary, has opposed an alleged move to replace Ambassador Omar Suleiman with Tukur Modibbo, with Suleiman threatening legal action, JOY DENNIS reports.

If there is any state that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, does not want to gamble with, it is Adamawa State. But there is a snag. The party’s governorship candidate, Ambassador Omar Suleiman, did not emerge with the former Vice President’s prompting or input.

Adamawa is not only Atiku’s home state; it is also one of the states where the former Vice President’s political standing is expected to be tested in the 2027 elections. Consequently, the dispute over the ADC governorship ticket has assumed significance beyond the immediate contest between two aspirants.

While Atiku’s supporters may prefer a candidate whose political orientation aligns with his, former SGF, Babachir Lawal, has taken the position that whoever emerged from the governorship primary should be allowed to contest the main election, even if the process that produced him has been questioned.

The disagreement has also exposed the difficulty facing the ADC as it seeks to build a national opposition platform from different political interests, personalities and tendencies.

Before announcing his exit from the ADC, Lawal had faulted the presidential primary, alleging that votes were allocated arbitrarily to favour a particular aspirant. Atiku, in response, accused him of applying different standards, arguing that Lawal could not approve a governorship primary that favoured his cousin while questioning the process that produced the presidential candidate.

The exchange marked an early sign of the differences that would later emerge more sharply over the Adamawa governorship ticket.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the list of nominated governorship candidates for public scrutiny and complaints. Amid the controversy over the ADC’s Adamawa ticket, Suleiman has insisted that he remains the party’s duly elected candidate and has approached the Federal High Court to protect his candidacy.

The dispute has consequently moved beyond political statements, with the courts now expected to determine the legality of any attempt to alter the outcome of the party’s primary.
Ethnic coloration

Lawal has also raised concerns about the alleged substitution, claiming in a Facebook post that the process was being influenced by ethnic considerations.

Using the online shopping platform Temu as an analogy, Lawal criticised what he described as the manner in which political candidates were being selected by some parties.

He wrote: “As the story goes on the streets in the state, APC donated its gubernatorial candidate to the state having purchased him from Temu the cheap online marketplace, and it appears that the ADC too has just done likewise, aside giving to the nation a presidential candidate that looks more like he too was a cheap product from TEMU.”

The remarks represented a further escalation in Lawal’s disagreement with Atiku and the ADC leadership.

Lawal had earlier alleged that Atiku was behind moves to replace Suleiman with Modibbo. He also questioned the political rationale for removing a candidate who, according to him, had already secured the party’s mandate through a primary election.

The former SGF’s position has put him on a collision course with elements within the ADC who support the change in the governorship ticket.

But Suleiman, who described himself as the winner of the ADC governorship primary, has also refused to accept the reported change.

“The people’s mandate cannot be rewritten,” he said.

He said the primary was conducted under INEC supervision and witnessed by party members and members of the public.

“Let me, therefore, state clearly and unequivocally, I remain the duly elected governorship candidate of the ADC in Adamawa State,” he said.

Suleiman said Modibbo came second in the primary and that his own name was subsequently submitted to INEC as the party’s candidate.

He disclosed that he had approached the Federal High Court seeking an injunction restraining INEC from accepting any substitution of his name by the party or any individual.

According to him, the relevant court processes had been served on INEC as well as the national and state leaderships of the ADC.

The legal action has introduced another dimension to the dispute. Rather than remaining an internal party disagreement, the controversy now involves questions about the validity of the primary, the authority of the party leadership to alter its candidate and the role of INEC in accepting any subsequent nomination.

Suleiman also said he had formally briefed Atiku about the legal action, stressing that the dispute was not about his personal ambition but about protecting the outcome of the primary.

“This is not about my personal ambition. It is about the sanctity of our democratic processes,” he said. “No individual, irrespective of position or influence, should be able to overturn the outcome of a primary election.”

He appealed to Atiku to withdraw any support for the alleged substitution and refrain from actions that could undermine the matter already before the court.

“Adamawa ADC members have made their choice; it is left for our political leaders to respect it or disregard it,” he said.

Stakeholders raise alarm
Meanwhile, ADC stakeholders in Adamawa have criticised the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), led by former Senate President David Mark, accusing it of weak leadership and susceptibility to external influence.

Speaking through their spokesperson, Bukar Dahi, the stakeholders said the dispute over the Adamawa governorship ticket was part of wider disagreements within the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections.

They cited unresolved governorship disputes in Sokoto, Imo, Kano and Borno states, as well as what they described as legal uncertainties surrounding some of the party’s candidates and its dealings with INEC.

For the Adamawa stakeholders, the controversy is particularly troubling because of the symbolic importance of the state to the ADC’s presidential candidate.

They argued that the party’s ability to manage its own internal disputes would influence how voters perceive its claim to be offering an alternative to the ruling political establishment.

On Adamawa, Dahi said the group was opposed to any attempt to replace Suleiman with Modibbo, who he said came second in the primary.

“There is no justifiable reason for the replacement of the candidate who emerged from the primary election with another aspirant. This directly undermines democracy,” Dahi said.

The stakeholders alleged that Atiku was involved in moves to influence members of the ADC NWC to consider the substitution. They also accused him of allowing ethnic and religious considerations to influence his political decisions.

Those claims remain allegations by stakeholders, while Atiku, through his aide, Phrank Shaibu, has denied any involvement in an alleged plot to unlawfully substitute the candidate.

The group, however, said the denial had not allayed their concerns.

They further questioned the independence of the David Mark-led NWC in handling contentious issues within the party.

“Is the NWC genuinely in charge of the ADC or has the party’s national leadership become increasingly subject to the dictates of powerful political actors outside its formal structure?” the stakeholders asked.

The question reflects the broader challenge facing the ADC as the party attempts to accommodate several prominent political figures who joined forces in opposition to the ruling party.

The stakeholders, however, stressed that their objection was not directed at any ethnic group but against what they described as the use of ethnicity and religion in determining political representation.

They described Suleiman as an experienced politician with considerable support across Adamawa State and warned that replacing him after the primary could damage the party’s electoral prospects.

According to them, the issue is not simply about the two individuals involved but about whether party members should have confidence that the outcome of an internal election will be respected.

Cultural identity controversy
The stakeholders also drew attention to a Facebook post by Aminu Iyawa, identified as an APC member, which appeared to celebrate the alleged substitution of Suleiman with Modibbo.

Iyawa wrote: “The ADC has really played a trump card by choosing to place Modibbo Tukur Ribadu against the APC’s candidate as they share the same cultural background.”

The stakeholders criticised the comment, arguing that reducing a governorship contest to the cultural identity of candidates could encourage ethnic politics at the expense of competence and democratic choice.

They challenged those behind the alleged substitution to explain why cultural identity should determine the choice of an opposition candidate.

The controversy over ethnicity has therefore become one of the most sensitive aspects of the dispute.

While Lawal and the stakeholders have raised the issue, the allegations have also added a potentially divisive dimension to what initially appeared to be an internal disagreement over a party ticket.

The stakeholders said political parties should be able to resolve disputes over candidates without allowing ethnic or religious considerations to dominate the process.

They also argued that the ADC could lose the goodwill of members and supporters if the dispute is allowed to fester ahead of the election.

Test for ADC
The stakeholders urged the David Mark-led NWC to resist pressure and respect the outcome of the party’s governorship primary.

They also called on INEC to scrutinise any proposed change to the ADC’s Adamawa governorship candidature and ensure that the party’s constitution and applicable electoral laws are respected.

For the stakeholders, the controversy has become a test of the ADC’s commitment to internal democracy as it seeks to position itself as a credible opposition platform ahead of the 2027 elections.

The dispute could also have implications for the party’s wider campaign in Adamawa. A governorship election requires a strong grassroots structure, coordinated campaign machinery and the ability to bring together competing interests within the party.

A prolonged internal battle could make such coordination difficult, particularly if supporters of Suleiman refuse to work for a candidate imposed through a process they consider unacceptable.

For Atiku, the matter carries an additional political sensitivity because of his longstanding influence in Adamawa and the importance of the state to his political base. Any perception of division within the ADC could complicate the party’s effort to consolidate support for its presidential campaign while simultaneously pursuing the governorship.

For Lawal and his supporters, the dispute is being framed as a test of fairness and internal democracy. For those supporting Modibbo, however, the argument over the ticket could be viewed through the wider need to present a candidate capable of delivering victory for the party.

At the heart of the disagreement, therefore, is a question that goes beyond the personalities of Suleiman and Modibbo: who has the final authority to determine the ADC’s candidate after a primary election?

Until that question is settled politically or judicially, the Adamawa governorship ticket is likely to remain one of the major fault lines within the opposition party.

And with the 2027 elections approaching, the manner in which the ADC resolves the dispute could determine not only who flies its governorship flag in Adamawa, but also how the party’s promise of internal democracy is judged by voters.