The political crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State has intensified after the party's governorship candidate, Omar Suleiman, rejected a reported move by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to present Tukur Modibbo as the party's candidate for the 2027 governorship election. Suleiman insisted he remains the duly elected candidate, warning that no individual has the authority to rewrite the outcome of the primary election.
Suleiman Insists on Primary Victory
In a strongly worded statement titled 'The People's Mandate Cannot Be Rewritten', made available to Legit.ng on Friday, August 28, Suleiman declared: "Let me therefore state clearly and unequivocally: I remain the duly elected governorship candidate of the ADC in Adamawa state."
He said the primary election was conducted under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and witnessed by party members and the public. According to him, he emerged victorious while Modibbo came second, and his name was subsequently submitted to INEC as the party's governorship candidate.
Legal Action Against Substitution
Suleiman disclosed that he had approached the Federal High Court over what he described as a possible attempt to alter the outcome of the primary and replace his name. He said he sought an injunction restraining INEC from accepting any substitution of his name by the party or any individual.
"I sought from the court an injunction restraining INEC from accepting any substitution of my name by the party or any person," he said. The governorship candidate confirmed that the relevant court processes had been served on INEC, as well as the national and state structures of the ADC. He also claimed that Atiku had been formally briefed about the legal action.
Defending Democratic Integrity
Suleiman framed the dispute as a broader question about the sanctity of democratic processes rather than a matter of personal political ambition. "This is not about my personal ambition. It is about the sanctity of our democratic process," he said.
He argued that no individual should have the authority to overturn the outcome of a primary election after party members had exercised their votes. "Until the court determines otherwise, no individual, regardless of his position, influence or stature, has the legal or moral authority to rewrite the result of a primary election or substitute his personal preference for the expressed will of party members," Suleiman added.
Appeal to Atiku and Call for Calm
The Adamawa ADC candidate also directly appealed to Atiku to withdraw what he described as the reported move to present Modibbo as the party's candidate. "I therefore respectfully but firmly call on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to withdraw the said post and refrain from any action capable of undermining the lawful process already undertaken by the party and that is currently before the court," he said.
Suleiman said political leadership required restraint, fairness and respect for due process. He maintained that the mandate belonged to the party members who voted and could not simply be appropriated by an individual. Furthermore, he called on ADC members, his supporters in Adamawa State and the wider Nigerian public to remain calm and law-abiding as the dispute proceeds through the legal process.
"Democracy means that the people choose, and that their choice must be respected. Adamawa ADC members have made their choice; it is left for our political leaders to respect it or disregard it," he said. The dispute now places the ADC's Adamawa governorship ticket at the centre of an unfolding political and legal battle ahead of the 2027 elections.
