The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have traded accusations over the reported defection of former ADC House of Assembly candidates from four northern states.
The APC said on Monday that ADC candidates from Jigawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara had joined its ranks and pledged support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
According to reports by The Nation, Punch and Vanguard, the delegation was led by Princess Aslam Aliyu, also known as Gimbiyar Kauran Namoda, while Hon. Mohammed Hassan of Zamfara State spoke on behalf of the group.
The delegation reportedly visited the APC national secretariat in Abuja, where it submitted resignation letters and was received by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
Hassan said the move was motivated by desire to support Tinubu’s administration and contribute to national development.
“We are not here merely to change the political platform, but to begin a new chapter of service and make a great contribution to our people by supporting Baba Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in 2027,” he said.
Yilwatda welcomed the group and urged its members to return to their wards and begin grassroots mobilisation for the APC.
He also used the occasion to defend the Federal Government’s record in northern Nigeria, citing ongoing road construction, gas and fertiliser projects, the compressed natural gas initiative and the Nigeria Education Loan Fund.
The APC chairman further argued that a return to fuel subsidy could undermine infrastructure and social programmes, warning that the policy would affect funding for projects across the North.
But the ADC rejected the APC’s account, describing the reported defectors as “random individuals” who were being given “imaginary ADC credentials.”
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said the people presented at the APC secretariat were neither its candidates nor recognised leaders.
“The APC cannot assemble random individuals at its secretariat, confer imaginary ADC credentials on them and then announce their defection,” the party said.
The ADC challenged the APC to identify the offices allegedly held by the individuals, the constituencies they represented and the elections in which they contested under the ADC platform.
The party also dismissed the APC’s claims of transformation in northern Nigeria, accusing the ruling party of relying on political photo opportunities instead of addressing food prices, insecurity and the rising cost of living.
The competing accounts could not immediately be reconciled. While the APC and several news reports identified the delegation as former ADC Assembly candidates, the reports reviewed did not specify the individual constituencies or provide a full list of the alleged defectors—details the ADC says are necessary to establish their political identities.
The dispute comes as Nigerian political parties intensify realignment efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The APC is presenting the episode as evidence of growing support for Tinubu, while the ADC is seeking to limit its political significance and challenge the authenticity of the people involved.
