ADC crisis deepens as Lukman suspends membership, accuses El-Rufai of hostility

A fresh crisis has hit the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections after former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman, announced the suspension of his membership of the party, citing what he described as persistent hostility and marginalisation by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

Lukman disclosed his decision in a letter addressed to ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, saying he could no longer remain in a political environment where he felt isolated despite his efforts to build a formidable opposition platform.

According to him, his vision of helping transform the ADC into a strong democratic party capable of challenging for power in the 2027 elections has gradually faded because some coalition leaders are allegedly repeating the same political practices that weakened their former parties.

“I will spend some time reflecting and deciding what I want to do with my life. My expectation that we will build the ADC into a strong Democratic Party has been diminished,” Lukman stated.

He lamented that despite spending more than a year working to unite opposition leaders in Kaduna State, he had consistently been treated as the problem by El-Rufai and his political associates.

“I have spent more than a year trying to unite leaders in Kaduna. For Mallam Nasir and his people, I am the problem. I have decided to resolve the problem for them and everyone. I have suspended my membership of the party and the coalition because of the reasons above,” he said.

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Lukman argued that the opposition coalition was gradually losing sight of its original objective of strengthening Nigeria’s democracy, alleging that personal interests had begun to overshadow the broader goal of building a credible alternative political platform.

According to him, some coalition leaders appear more interested in imposing their preferences than fostering internal democracy, warning that such actions could reduce the ADC to a marginal force in the 2027 elections.

The former APC chieftain also criticised former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of engaging with individuals in Kaduna whom he described as having questionable commitment to the party while ignoring those who had worked to strengthen the coalition.

“Already, I can see that HE Amaechi is in overdrive mode and is reaching out to people from Kaduna with questionable commitment. Whatever he wants to do with them is certainly not about building the party into a strong Democratic Party, which is why the views of those of us from Kaduna don’t matter,” Lukman stated.

Despite suspending his membership, Lukman stressed that his decision was not directed at the national leadership of the ADC.

He praised Senator David Mark and other national leaders for their commitment to the coalition, insisting that his grievance was specifically with what he described as the disdainful treatment he had received from El-Rufai and some coalition leaders in Kaduna.

“But it has everything to do with the disdainful treatment being meted out to me by some few coalition leaders, especially Mallam Nasir and his supporters in Kaduna. I am sorry, I just can’t continue,” he added.

Lukman, who previously served as Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), resigned from the APC in 2024 after criticising the ruling party’s internal democracy before joining the ADC-led coalition, where he became one of the prominent figures advocating for a united opposition ahead of the next general election.

His decision to suspend his membership is expected to intensify concerns over unity within the opposition coalition, which has in recent months attracted several high-profile politicians seeking to build a stronger platform to challenge the ruling APC in 2027.

Political observers say the development could complicate ongoing efforts to strengthen the coalition, particularly in key states such as Kaduna, where internal disagreements have continued to generate tensions among leading opposition figures.

As of the time of filing this report, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Senator David Mark, and the ADC National Working Committee had not publicly responded to Lukman’s allegations.

The latest development comes at a critical time for the opposition coalition as consultations and realignments continue ahead of the build-up to the 2027 presidential election, with party leaders under increasing pressure to maintain unity and resolve internal disputes.

ADC crisis deepens as Lukman suspends membership, accuses El-Rufai of hostility

BREAKING: Hamzat Didn’t Know Running Mate Until APC Picked Her

The Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has disclosed that he had no prior personal relationship with his running mate, Damilola Sonayon-James, before the party selected her as his deputy for the 2027 governorship election. Hamzat made the revelation on Thursday during the public presentation of Who Is She?, an event held at the Syrian Club Event Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos. According to Hamzat, although he played a role in defining the qualities the party should look for in a running mate, he had never personally interacted with Sonayon-James until after her emergence. He admitted that he did not even have her phone number at the time of her selection and had to obtain it from a third party.

The selection process was shaped by recommendations that received the approval of President Bola Tinubu. Hamzat explained that the President delegated the responsibility of selecting the deputy governorship candidate to party leaders after agreeing with his proposal that the position should go to a young woman. “The President called me and said, you guys go and sort it out, and I’m quoting him. I said, sir, I think it should be a female. He said, it’s okay. It should be young. He said, it’s okay,” Hamzat recounted.

The selection process also took into consideration the state’s political balancing and zoning arrangement. Since Hamzat hails from the Lagos East Senatorial District and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu comes from the Lagos Central District, the running mate had to be chosen from the Lagos West District. “We now said, okay, but we must also make sure it’s not from the east, because I’m from the east. And then the current governor is from the central, so it cannot be from central. It must be from the west,” Hamzat explained.

Despite the careful selection process, Hamzat admitted that Sonayon-James was a complete stranger to him before her emergence. “But my point is that until Damilola was elected, I don’t know her phone number. I got her phone number from somebody,” he said. The deputy governor, however, emphasised that what mattered most was her record of service and commitment to grassroots development. He described her as an active community leader who has been doing great things for her people. “But what is the important thing? The important thing is that she’s been very active in the community. She’s been doing great things,” Hamzat said.

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Hamzat also took the opportunity to encourage young women to remain optimistic about opportunities in Nigeria, urging them not to be discouraged by negative narratives about the country. “So, our young ladies, you know, if you listen on television, you hear all sorts of negative things about this country. Don’t believe it. Don’t believe it,” he said.

The Lagos State chapter of the APC officially announced Damilola Sonayon-James, the party’s Deputy Woman Leader, as Hamzat’s running mate for the 2027 governorship election in June 2026. Her nomination received the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu and the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) , the apex decision-making body of the APC in Lagos State. APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi said Sonayon-James emerged after extensive consultations and a rigorous selection process that considered competence, leadership capacity, grassroots acceptance, party loyalty, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to the continued development of Lagos State.

According to Ojelabi, Sonayon-James is a 41-year-old accomplished governance and development professional with over 15 years of experience spanning public policy, institutional development, sustainability, risk governance, human capital strategy, stakeholder engagement, and community development. She previously served as Supervisor for Agriculture and Social Services in Badagry-West Local Council Development Area, where she championed initiatives focused on agricultural development, women empowerment, youth inclusion, educational support, community welfare, and social intervention programmes. The Badagry-born politician is widely respected for her grassroots engagement and dedication to community development. Ojelabi described the Hamzat-Sonayon-James ticket as a blend of experience, innovation, grassroots connection, and visionary leadership capable of advancing the developmental aspirations of Lagos residents.

Hamzat secured the APC governorship ticket on May 21, 2026, polling 657,917 votes out of 657,974 accredited votes cast, while his sole challenger, Lanre Jim-Kamal, secured only one vote. His emergence is historic, as no deputy governor in the history of Lagos State has ever successfully contested to succeed their principal. Having served as Sanwo-Olu’s deputy since 2019, Hamzat is also the first deputy governor to serve two consecutive terms in the state since the return of democracy in 1999. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has officially unveiled the Hamzat-Sonayon-James ticket, describing the duo as a leadership team capable of sustaining and expanding development across Lagos State. Sanwo-Olu praised Sonayon-James as a sustainability expert and grassroots development advocate whose commitment to community development and youth empowerment reflects the aspirations of many Lagosians.

BREAKING: Hamzat Didn’t Know Running Mate Until APC Picked Her

INEC recognises David Mark-led ADC, validates Atiku’s candidacy

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it will recognise only the candidates submitted by the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general elections, effectively clearing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and 470 other candidates to contest on the party’s platform.

The electoral commission’s clarification settles, for now, the dispute over which faction of the ADC is authorised to submit candidates for the 2027 polls, even as legal battles over the party’s internal leadership continue.

Speaking on the development, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed that the commission granted the David Mark-led leadership access to its secure candidate nomination portal following a Supreme Court judgment affirming the faction’s leadership of the party.

According to Haruna, the recognised leadership has already uploaded candidates for 471 elective positions, comprising two presidential candidates, 109 senatorial candidates, and 360 House of Representatives candidates.

“Yes, we gave the Mark-led faction the code based on the recent Supreme Court judgment that affirmed his leadership of the party, and the faction has since submitted most of its candidates for a total of 471—presidential (2), senatorial (109) and House of Representatives (360) constituencies,” Haruna said.

He added that the Supreme Court did not authorise INEC to receive nominations from the rival faction, stressing that the group had already lost its appeal seeking recognition.

“The court, however, did not say we should accept any submissions by the rival faction which, in any case, had lost its appeal for recognition,” he stated.

Haruna further disclosed that the commission would carefully study the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the latest Court of Appeal judgment before taking an official position on its implications for the party’s internal affairs.

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According to him, INEC will only make a formal decision after examining the details of the appellate court’s ruling.

The clarification followed claims by the rival ADC faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, which alleged that it had obtained access to INEC’s nomination portal and successfully uploaded candidates for the 2027 elections.

Reacting, the ADC welcomed INEC’s position and accused the rival faction of attempting to mislead Nigerians by circulating forged documents.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said INEC had confirmed that the document circulated by the rival faction claiming access to the commission’s nomination portal was forged.

According to the party, falsely claiming access to INEC’s restricted nomination platform is a serious offence capable of undermining public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

The party therefore urged INEC and security agencies to investigate those behind the alleged forgery and prosecute anyone found culpable in accordance with the law.

The development comes shortly after the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier Federal High Court judgment restraining INEC from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC.

However, the party maintained that the appellate court’s decision relates only to the conduct of ward, local government and state congresses, insisting that it has no effect on the direct primary elections through which its presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates emerged.

The ADC said the ruling does not invalidate the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate or affect the validity of candidates already nominated for the 2027 elections.

Political observers say INEC’s latest clarification provides greater certainty over the party’s candidate nomination process, although the broader legal dispute over the ADC’s leadership structure is expected to continue in court.

With the nomination process now largely concluded, attention is expected to shift to the resolution of pending litigation, campaign preparations and political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The recognition of the David Mark-led ADC is also viewed as a significant boost for the opposition coalition that adopted the party as its platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next presidential election.

As legal proceedings continue, analysts believe the courts will ultimately determine the outstanding issues surrounding the party’s internal leadership, while INEC remains guided by existing judicial pronouncements in administering the electoral process.

INEC recognises David Mark-led ADC, validates Atiku’s candidacy