A leaked audio recording allegedly featuring the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State, Alhaji Isa Ashiru, has triggered controversy within the party, with loyalists dismissing the recording as fabricated and supporters of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai reaffirming their allegiance to him.

Our correspondent reports that despite the controversy, Aisha El-Rufai, wife of Nasiru El-Rufai, has declared her support for the ADC candidate.

In a post on her verified Facebook page, she said “No retreat, no surrender. Kicking and struggling do not prevent death.

“Audio, letters, videos whatever they are even if Isa Ashiru will deal with not only Malam El-Rufai but the whole family. I said it is only one term; there will be no reverse, God willing,” she wrote.

The audio, which has been widely circulated on social media, is said to contain a phone conversation between Ashiru and an elder from Southern Kaduna. In the recording, the speaker allegedly criticises El-Rufai, a national leader of the ADC.

However, the authenticity of the recording has not been independently verified, and it remains unclear whether the voice in the audio actually belongs to Ashiru or whether he made the comments attributed to him.

In the recording, the speaker allegedly claimed that joining the ADC was primarily a political strategy aimed at securing the party’s governorship ticket.

“We only went to the ADC to obtain the party ticket so that we could move forward. The PDP is already divided into two factions. Wike is leading one faction, while Tanimu Turaki is leading the other, and both sides are in court,” the voice in the recording said.

The speaker further claimed that his association with El-Rufai was borne out of political necessity rather than personal conviction.

The speaker also alleged that El-Rufai had become politically isolated within the party, describing his current situation as a consequence of past actions.

Reacting to the development, a prominent ADC figure in Kaduna North and ally of Ashiru, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, dismissed the recording as fake.

“We don’t believe it was his voice. In this era of Artificial Intelligence, anything is possible. They only doctored the audio to suit their attempt to tarnish Ashiru’s image before the public,” the source told Daily Trust.

The source accused political opponents of orchestrating a smear campaign against Ashiru ahead of future political contests.

Another source told Daily Trust that the content of the audio was surprising, adding that, loyalists of the former governor met on Sunday to deliberate on the implications of the leaked recording and to reassure party members of their continued support for El-Rufai.

“As loyalists of El-Rufai within the party, we met today to discuss the issue and to make it clear that our loyalty remains with him. We will do everything within our powers to protect his image in Kaduna State,” the source said.

The party chieftain, however, declined further comment, saying another meeting would be held soon to determine the position of El-Rufai’s loyalists within the ADC.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Ashiru had not issued an official statement on the leaked audio.

Our correspondent called Ashiru on phone but failed to connect, just as he was yet to reply text messages sent to him via WhatsApp.

In 2015, Isa Ashiru contested against El-Rufai in the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship primary election and lost to El-Rufai.

After that, he moved to the PDP, contested in the party’s primary election, and secured the party’s ticket for the governorship election. He lost to El-Rufai.

In 2019, Ashiru secured the same PDP ticket and contested against El-Rufai but lost in the general election. In 2023, he contested again under the PDP against Senator Uba Sani in a fiercely contested election, which he also lost.

He has now moved to the ADC and secured the party’s governorship ticket for the fourth time. (Daily Trust)

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