The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State faces a deepening internal dispute after its governorship candidate, Amb. Omar Suleiman, rejected reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar intends to present Alhaji Modibbo as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
In a statement titled “The People’s Mandate Cannot Be Rewritten,” Suleiman insisted he remains the party’s duly elected governorship candidate. He said the primary election, conducted under Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) supervision and witnessed by party members and the public, produced him as the winner, with Modibbo placing second. His name was subsequently submitted to INEC, he added.
Suleiman said he had approached the Federal High Court seeking an injunction to restrain INEC from accepting any substitution of his name by the party or any individual. He stated that the relevant court processes had been served on INEC and on the ADC’s national and state structures, and that Atiku had been formally briefed about the legal action.
“Let me therefore state clearly and unequivocally: I remain the duly elected governorship candidate of the ADC in Adamawa State,” Suleiman said. He framed the dispute as a matter of democratic principle rather than personal ambition, arguing that no individual, regardless of position or influence, has the authority to overturn a primary result or substitute a personal preference for the expressed will of party members.
“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,” he said.
Suleiman called on Atiku to withdraw the reported move and to refrain from any action that could undermine the process already before the court. He urged ADC members, his supporters and the wider public to remain calm and law-abiding, adding that his camp would continue to defend the mandate through lawful means.
“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 has placed the ADC’s Adamawa governorship ticket at the centre of a political and legal contest ahead of the 2027 general elections.
