Former African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidates, aspirants and party executives in Kaduna, along with members of two El-Rufai-aligned youth groups, have resigned from the party and declared support for Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress.
The group, which also includes members of the El-Rufai Boys Vanguard and the Nasiriyya Youth Movement, announced its exit on Thursday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists secretariat in Kaduna, where its convener, Ibrahim Khalil Dan Kasa, addressed journalists.
Dan Kasa, a former ADC State Assembly candidate for Unguwan Sanusi Constituency, said the decision followed extensive consultations across the state’s three senatorial districts. He put the group’s strength at more than 2,000 ward coordinators, alongside former candidates, aspirants and party executives.
The defectors cited dissatisfaction with the leadership of the El-Rufai Youth Movement and alleged marginalisation within the ADC, including what they described as the denial of party tickets to credible aspirants from the El-Rufai political camp. Dan Kasa named the Kawo and Doka/Gabasawa State Assembly constituencies as examples.
He also accused the ADC leadership of failing to provide adequate support and protection for grassroots members, and criticised the camp of the party’s governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru, for not presenting a clear policy blueprint after seven months of political engagement. Grassroots mobilisers, he said, were neglected in terms of logistics, security and welfare despite their contributions to the party.
Dan Kasa said the decision to leave the ADC did not diminish the group’s respect for El-Rufai.
He described Sani’s administration as focused on continuity, infrastructure development, social cohesion and youth inclusion, saying the governor had sustained projects initiated by the previous administration while expanding interventions across all 23 local government areas. He also commended Sani for promoting religious and ethnic harmony and for giving young people opportunities in governance.
The group said it would immediately integrate its grassroots structures and mobilisation machinery into the APC, pledging support for the governor’s administration and describing the move as a step towards purposeful governance and political consolidation. Dan Kasa said the group was committed to supporting Sani’s development agenda and sustaining peace and progress in Kaduna State.
Discussion about this post