The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State has been thrown into fresh controversy over reports that its governorship candidate, Suleiman Umar, popularly known as Omarana, has been replaced by Modibbo Hamman Tukur Ribadu on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
The development has heightened tensions within the party, with Omarana’s campaign organisation insisting that he remains the legitimate candidate of the ADC for the 2027 governorship election.
The controversy emerged after reports circulated that the ADC had uploaded Ribadu’s name as its governorship candidate following the resolution of issues surrounding the party’s primary election.
The development came shortly after the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, left the ADC and raised concerns over the alleged replacement of Omarana.
Lawal had claimed that the ADC national leadership succumbed to pressure from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and replaced Omarana with a candidate allegedly aligned with Atiku.
However, the claim has not been independently verified.
Omarana’s campaign organisation, in a statement signed by its Director-General, Elder Mark Wosi, dismissed reports of his replacement as baseless.
The campaign office said Omarana emerged through the party’s recognised primary process and remained the ADC’s governorship candidate.
It urged party members and supporters to disregard what it described as unverified reports, warning that attempts to undermine the primary could create further tension within the party.
According to the campaign organisation, Omarana’s “Adamawa That Works” agenda remains focused on inclusive governance, human capital development, economic empowerment and grassroots development.
Meanwhile, another report claimed that INEC had uploaded the names of Ribadu and his running mate on its official portal.
When Daily Trust visited the INEC office in Adamawa, the list of governorship candidates was reportedly unavailable, with officials saying it had not been received from the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Efforts to obtain clarification from the ADC leadership were unsuccessful.
The party’s National Vice Chairman for the North-East, Daniel Bwala, declined comment, saying he would issue a statement later. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also did not respond to inquiries.
Omarana, when contacted, described his alleged replacement as speculation and said the facts would become clearer subsequently.
“As you said, speculation for now. By tomorrow (Monday) we will get the facts. I have saved your number. Will contact you. I will make press release,” he said in a text message.
The latest dispute is the latest in a series of internal crises that have affected the ADC in Adamawa, including disagreements over the composition of its state executive council, where three individuals had previously laid claim to the chairmanship.
The disputes have reportedly involved prominent political figures, including Atiku, Babachir Lawal and Senator Aisha Dahiru Ahmed, popularly known as Binani.
Both Babachir Lawal and Binani have since left the party.
The controversy over the governorship ticket is particularly significant because Adamawa is the home state of the ADC’s presidential candidate, making the state a key battleground for the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ribadu, meanwhile, is a former pioneer Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit. He was appointed to the position by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 after serving at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, where he rose to the rank of Assistant Director.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the ADC national leadership or INEC confirming whether Ribadu had formally replaced Omarana as the party’s governorship candidate.
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