Barely weeks after presenting itself as the political platform capable of disrupting Jigawa’s established political order, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is confronting a crisis that threatens to consume the very coalition that transformed it into a formidable force. At the heart of the turmoil is the controversial governorship primary that produced Senator Sabo Mohammed Nakudu as the party’s candidate — a process whose aftermath has triggered resentment, defections and open rebellion among some of the party’s most influential stakeholders. What was expected to be ADC’s defining moment of consolidation is increasingly looking like the beginning of a political fracture.
Warning Signs During the Primaries
The warning signs emerged during the primaries. Rather than delivering a decisive outcome capable of uniting the party, the governorship contest descended into a prolonged collation exercise marked by allegations of irregularities, disputed results, violence, intimidation and controversy over outcomes from several local government areas. The crisis became so severe that party officials temporarily suspended collation before eventually returning to conclude the exercise. For a party that built its appeal on promises of fairness, transparency and internal democracy, the optics were damaging.
Yet the deeper problem was not merely the controversy surrounding the process. It was the perception created by the outcome. Among many party loyalists, the victory was seen as the triumph of a late entrant over politicians who had spent years building structures, mobilising supporters and investing resources to establish the party across Jigawa State. Within political circles, a powerful narrative quickly took hold: those who built the house had been pushed aside when it was finally time to occupy it.
Bashir Adamu Jumbo’s Indictment
No figure embodies that sentiment more than former House of Representatives member Bashir Adamu Jumbo. For sixteen years, Jumbo represented Kazaure, Roni, Yankwashi and Gwiwa Federal Constituency. More importantly, he was widely regarded as one of the principal architects of ADC’s growth in Jigawa and among the most recognisable faces of the coalition movement in the state. His post-primary speech sounded less like a concession and more like a political indictment. While congratulating winners of the presidential, National Assembly and state assembly primaries, he conspicuously withheld congratulations from the governorship candidate. The omission was impossible to miss.
“We brought this party to limelight in Jigawa State and worked very hard for the party since inception of the coalition. We invested our money, time, health and goodwill,” he declared. Then came the remark that has since come to define ADC’s post-primary crisis: “It is unfortunate that you build a house and someone comes from nowhere to dislodge you, not honourably but with disgrace.” The statement resonated because it articulated what many aggrieved party members were already saying privately.
Jumbo went further, alleging blackmail, sabotage, hypocrisy and political witch-hunts. He complained of being deliberately discouraged and falsely portrayed throughout the contest. Perhaps most damaging were his accusations of betrayal by individuals he claimed had benefited from his support and sacrifices. “Those that betrayed us, we did everything for them to make the party strong. We bought forms for them to contest and did everything humanly possible for them to succeed.” He then delivered what many interpreted as a veiled criticism of the role money and influence may have played in shaping the outcome. “Since they prefer to follow their selfish interest, they abandoned God to worship wealth.”
Political Consequences and Defections
Whether one agrees with Jumbo’s assessment or not is beside the point. The political significance of his intervention lies in what happened afterwards. His remarks gained traction because they reflected a growing sentiment among sections of the party that the governorship primary had evolved beyond a simple contest among aspirants. It had become a struggle over ownership of the ADC project in Jigawa. That perception is now producing tangible political consequences.
The clearest evidence is the steady migration of key political figures and their supporters away from the party. Former Speaker Idris Garba Kareka, who served six years as Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly and remains one of the most influential politicians in Jahun Local Government Area, has openly aligned with the PDP. His departure carries weight not merely because of his personal stature but because of the extensive political structure he commands across Jahun and Miga federal constituency. Before Kareka’s exit, another former Speaker, Isa Idris of Gwaram, who had become dissatisfied with developments surrounding political nominations, also found a new political home in the PDP rather than joining the ADC fold.
These are not routine defections. They involve former Speakers of the state legislature — politicians who occupied one of the highest offices in Jigawa and spent decades cultivating political networks, loyalists and influence. In Nigerian politics, politicians rarely move alone. They travel with ward leaders, grassroots organisers, campaign coordinators, financiers, youth groups and community influencers. What departs with them is often more valuable than the politician himself: the structure. And that is where ADC’s challenge becomes far more serious.
Loss of Structure and Credibility
The party is not simply losing prominent names. It is losing the machinery required to compete. Across several local government areas, supporters of aggrieved aspirants are reportedly drifting toward the PDP. In many communities, conversations have shifted from who won the ADC primary to whether the party can survive the bitterness it generated. The PDP, meanwhile, appears to be emerging as the principal beneficiary. Every defection strengthens its grassroots reach. Every disgruntled ADC stakeholder expands its influence. Every experienced politician crossing over brings local credibility, resources and organisational capacity.
For ADC, however, the crisis extends beyond defections. The party now faces a credibility problem. It campaigned as a movement different from the traditional political establishment. It promised inclusiveness, transparency and fairness. The controversy surrounding its governorship primary has weakened that message and created doubts among supporters who once viewed the party as a genuine alternative. Politics is often shaped as much by perception as reality. Today, the perception spreading across Jigawa is that those who laboured to build ADC have been sidelined, while those who arrived later have assumed control of the project.
Conclusion: A Coalition Unravelling
That perception may ultimately prove more damaging than the disputed primary itself. Political parties can survive electoral defeats. They can recover from internal disagreements. What they rarely survive is the loss of trust among the very people who built them. If the current trajectory continues, the emergence of ADC’s governorship candidate may ultimately be remembered not as the moment the party selected its standard-bearer, but as the moment the coalition that made ADC a political force in Jigawa began to unravel.
