Power-sharing, candidate-substitution disputes threaten ADC’s chances in Jigawa

As campaigns for the 2027 general elections get underway, the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Jigawa State is struggling to put its house in order.

Allegations that the ADC leadership replaced primary election winners are at the heart of the crisis.

Also, the governorship candidate, Sabo Nakudu, and party chieftain Bashir Jumbo have had public spats over a power-sharing arrangement, further complicating an uphill battle against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Northwestern state.

In August, Mr Nakudu issued a public disclaimer regarding a purported 60:40 power-sharing agreement. His action is more than a routine legal disavowal; it exposed a deep fracture in the opposition party ahead of the general election.

Mr Nakudu’s statement revealed an opposition platform bitterly split along factional fault lines.

Crisis and failed internal reconciliation

The governorship primary had pitted Mr Jumbo—a four-term House of Representatives veteran and pillar of the ADC in Jigawa—against Mr Nakudu, a late defector from the ruling APC.

Mr Jumbo petitioned the party’s election appeal committee, alleging widespread irregularities, intimidation, and interference by party leadership in the primary. His camp views Mr Nakudu’s emergence as a hijack by wealthy latecomers, while Mr Nakudu’s camp accused Mr Jumbo’s of being bitter losers.
A leaked document—indicating a 60:40 power-sharing agreement between the camps, the concession of the deputy governorship slot, and cabinet appointments—appeared to be an attempt to broker a truce between the two factions.

But Mr Nakudu’s aggressive repudiation of the document indicated that negotiations not only collapsed, but have degenerated into open warfare.

“I, Senator Sabo Mohammed Nakudu, CON, Governorship Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Jigawa State, for the 2027 General Elections, hereby categorically disclaim and repudiate the purported agreement currently in circulation and allegedly entered into between me and Hon. Bashir Adamu Jumbo, OFR.

“I did not negotiate, execute, approve, authorise, consent to, adopt or ratify the said agreement, nor am I aware of or bound by its purported terms.

“I specifically dissociate myself from the provisions relating to the alleged 60:40 power-sharing formula, Deputy Governorship arrangement, allocation of elective positions and Federal or State appointments. NI authorised no person or group to make such commitments on my behalf.

“I therefore urge all persons, institutions, political actors and media organisations to refrain from treating, publishing or circulating the document as an agreement duly executed or authorised by me, and to correct any contrary representation.

“In view of the seriousness of the matter, I shall pursue all appropriate legal and lawful remedies against any person found responsible for fabricating, altering, falsely attributing, unlawfully using or circulating the document or my purported signature”, Mr Nakudu stated in August.

Observers stated that Mr Nakudu has crossed the point of no return because when intra-party disputes escalate from political horse-trading to accusations of forgery and criminal fabrication, formal party reconciliation mechanisms become ineffective.

Strategic fallout ahead of the election

The ongoing crisis leaves the ADC structurally compromised on two major fronts: Mr Jumbo is strong in his Jigawa North-west (Kazaure zone) home district. If his loyalists feel excluded and manipulated by forged agreements, the party risks a mass exodus or silent sabotage at the polls.

Instead of mounting a common campaign against the ruling APC, the ADC is burning critical momentum, resources, and public credibility on internal litigation and media warfare.

Analysts say that while Mr Nakudu’s disclaimer may protect his legal position and executive leverage, it confirmed that the Jigawa ADC is divided.

Unless the party hierarchy manages an extraordinary intervention, this bitter battle may render the ADC ineffective well before the first ballot is cast in 2027.

The rift is also threatening to undermine the chances of the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the state.

Mr Jumbo’s faction accused Mr Nakudu of refusing to campaign for Atiku, noting that his campaign posters do not feature an image of the presidential candidate.

Speaking on Freedom Radio, Nasiru Laraba, a loyalist of Mr Jumbo, accused Mr Nakudu of working to weaken Atiku’s support base for the benefit of President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Laraba challenged Mr Nakudu to openly campaign for Atiku, who is widely believed to have backed Mr Jumbo in the party’s primary.

“Why is the governorship candidate not campaigning for Atiku in this state, as is being done elsewhere?” Mr Laraba asked.

He added that individuals who joined the party only a few months ago were attempting to destabilise it.

Substitution of candidates

Mr Nakudu is reportedly furious over the party headquarters’ decision to substitute his running mate, Aminu Ibrahim, with Balarabe Kaugama.

Several other candidates have also been replaced, including Zakari Alhaji-Sidi, a popular House of Representatives candidate for the Hadejia, Kafin-Hausa, and Auyo federal constituency who had won convincingly in the primary.

The state’s ADC chairperson, Sani Muhammad, told PREMIUM TIMES that about eight members who won the party’s primaries for legislative seats were replaced.

Mr Muhammad said the state leadership had raised concerns over the situation.

READ ALSO: Police, ADC supporters clash in Kaduna as 2027 campaigns begin

“Among the affected flagship positions is Zakari Alhaji-Sidi, as well as the deputy governorship candidate initially nominated by Sabo Nakudu, who was unexpectedly replaced with Balarabe Kaugama.

“We believe that a governorship candidate has the prerogative to select their running mate, which Sabo Nakudu exercised. The exact reasons for this subsequent replacement remain unclear.

“The substitutions have been reported across several House of Assembly constituencies, including Birnin Kudu, Taura, Yankwashi, Birniwa, Kaugama, Hadejia, and Bulangu. In each of these instances, duly elected primary winners were replaced by individuals who did not win the party’s primary elections.

“At the state level, we have fulfilled our responsibilities; we do not have the authority to alter or replace candidates locally.

“We have formally forwarded these complaints to the party’s national headquarters and are currently awaiting their response. We hope the issue will be resolved before it is too late”, Mr Muhammad told our reporter on the phone.