By Ado Oyeyemi
The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress in Katsina State took a fresh turn on Tuesday as 34 House of Assembly aspirants abandoned the party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party, citing alleged injustice, poor leadership and a lack of internal democracy.
The mass defection comes amid lingering disputes over the party’s governorship primary election, which has left the ADC sharply divided ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party has been embroiled in internal wrangling following the emergence of Ahmed Kaita as its governorship candidate, with rival factions contesting the outcome of the exercise and alleging irregularities in the selection process.
Political observers say the controversy has created uncertainty within the party’s structure across the state.
The defectors, drawn from 18 local government areas, announced their decision during a meeting with PDP leaders in Katsina.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Ahmad Yusuf Jaguma said they could no longer remain in a party where fairness and transparency were allegedly lacking.
According to him, the former ADC members carefully reviewed the political situation before deciding to align with the PDP.
“We reflected on the situation and concluded that the PDP offers a better platform.
We have left a disorganised path and returned to what we consider our political home,” he said.
Jaguma added that some members had initially anticipated that a prominent PDP figure in the state, Senator Yakubu Lado Danmarke, would join the ADC, but reconsidered their position when that failed to materialise.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the ruling All Progressives Congress is making efforts to woo back former governorship aspirant Mustapha Inuwa as part of preparations for future political contests.
Inuwa, a former Secretary to the Katsina State Government and one of the founding members of the APC in the state, left the party after losing the governorship ticket ahead of the 2023 election.
He subsequently joined the PDP, where he served as campaign director for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in Katsina State before later moving to the ADC.
Sources said senior APC figures have held separate meetings with Inuwa in an attempt to facilitate his return to the party.
Among those reportedly involved in the reconciliation efforts are former Chief of Staff Jabiru Tsauri and Deputy Governor Lawal Jobe, who were said to have met privately with the politician. However, details of the discussions remain undisclosed.
Welcoming the defectors, Katsina State PDP Chairman, Nuraddeen Kurfi, assured them of equal opportunities within the party, stressing that the PDP remained united and accommodating.
“You will enjoy fairness and justice in the PDP. Our doors remain open to everyone willing to contribute to the growth of the party,” he said.
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Also speaking, the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Yakubu Lado Danmarke, expressed confidence that more politicians would join the party in the coming weeks as political realignments continue ahead of the 2027 elections.
