Factional crisis rocks Kaduna ADC as rival camps trade suspensions, expulsions

A leadership crisis has erupted within the Kaduna State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as rival factions trade suspensions and expulsions, plunging the party into deeper internal turmoil and confusion over its legitimate leadership.

The conflict escalated on Wednesday when the State Executive Committee (SEC) expelled Deputy Chairman Ahmed Mustapha and eight other top officials for alleged gross misconduct, forgery, and financial irregularities.

Those expelled include State Publicity Secretary Idris Musa, Vice Chairman (Zone 1) Sulaiman Abdullahi, Treasurer Gambo Sani, Financial Secretary Magaji Maiwada, and Legal Adviser Danlami Musa, among others.

Announcing the decision, State Chairman Elder Patrick Ambut said the action followed due process and was intended to restore order and discipline within the party.

“These individuals engaged in activities capable of undermining the unity and lawful operation of the ADC,” Ambut stated, accusing Mustapha of impersonation and unauthorised interference in party affairs.

However, the expelled officials dismissed the move as “illegal and retaliatory.”

Former publicity secretary Idris Musa described the expulsions as “laughable,” claiming they were a response to an earlier decision by their faction to suspend Ambut and State Secretary Victor Oluwatuyi over alleged anti-party activities.

In a statement released Monday and obtained by journalists on Thursday, the faction announced the suspension of Ambut and Oluwatuyi, accusing them of misconduct, creating parallel structures, and violating the ADC Constitution.

The group also named Ahmed Mustapha as acting chairman and Rachael Didams as acting secretary, pending investigation by a disciplinary committee.

Both camps have since traded accusations of high-handedness, forgery, and financial mismanagement, each claiming to represent the party’s legitimate leadership.

The Kaduna showdown mirrors a similar crisis in the Kogi State chapter, where rival factions have also suspended one another over allegations of anti-party activities.