A fresh crisis has engulfed the Kaduna State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the decision of the party’s Primary Election Appeal Committee to affirm Shuaibu Idris Mikati as the winner of the governorship primary election, contrary to an earlier declaration that named Isa Mohammed Ashiru as the party’s candidate.

The development has thrown the opposition party into uncertainty and raised fresh questions over the conduct and outcome of its governorship primary ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Appeal Committee, chaired by retired Comptroller of Immigration, Dr. Muhammed Mustapha Fagge, announced its verdict after reviewing petitions submitted by aggrieved aspirants who challenged the conduct and outcome of the primaries.

According to the committee, Mikati was the valid winner of the governorship contest after securing the highest number of lawful votes cast during the exercise.

Fagge said the panel painstakingly examined documentary evidence, reports from the field and submissions by the parties before arriving at its conclusions.

He stated that the committee unanimously upheld Mikati’s emergence and further claimed that evidence presented before it revealed irregularities and fraudulent activities linked to some competing governorship aspirants.

The verdict appears to have overturned the earlier outcome announced by party officials which recognised Ashiru, the former Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Kaduna State, as the ADC governorship standard bearer.

The conflicting positions have exposed deep divisions within the party and are expected to trigger fresh controversy among stakeholders and supporters.

Political observers say the development could open a new chapter of legal and political battles unless the party leadership quickly moves to resolve the dispute and clarify its official position.

Beyond the governorship contest, the committee also ruled on several petitions arising from federal and state legislative primaries conducted across the state.

It affirmed the victories of Tukur Salisu Kakeyi in the Zaria Federal Constituency primary and Muhammed Mahmoud Aliyu in the Soba Federal Constituency contest after determining that both candidates scored the highest number of valid votes.

However, the panel declared a number of primary elections inconclusive and ordered rerun polls in constituencies where substantial irregularities and procedural breaches were established.

In the Ikara/Kubau Federal Constituency, the committee directed a rerun after finding that a duly screened aspirant, Ibrahim Danlami Kubau, was omitted from the ballot papers.

A fresh primary election was also ordered for Kaduna South Federal Constituency after the committee said there was no credible evidence that elections were conducted across all wards within the constituency.

The committee further ordered reruns in affected wards and constituencies across Kaura, Soba, Ikara, Kajuru, Badarawa/Malali, Magajin Gari II, Birnin Gwari, Tudun Wada West, Igabi, Kagarko, Kawo, Zaria, Chikun/Kajuru and Kudan/Makarfi, among others.

Fagge said the decisions were aimed at safeguarding the credibility and integrity of the party’s nomination process.

The committee also made a significant pronouncement on the Kaduna North Senatorial District primary, ruling that any attempt to adopt a consensus or affirmation arrangement would be invalid unless it enjoyed the consent of all parties involved.

He stressed that the committee was guided by the principles of justice, transparency, inclusiveness and internal democracy throughout its deliberations.

“Our decisions were reached strictly on the basis of facts, evidence and the provisions of the party’s guidelines. The committee remains committed to protecting the integrity of the ADC’s internal democratic process and ensuring that the will of party members prevails,” Fagge said.

The latest development has left the Kaduna ADC facing one of its biggest internal crises since the commencement of preparations for the 2027 elections, with uncertainty now surrounding the identity of the party’s authentic governorship candidate. (The Nation)