Sokoto ADC Rejects ‘Imposed’ Leaders, Claims New Committee Bosses Are PDP Defectors Who Haven’t Fully Registered

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Sokoto State has been plunged into fresh turmoil following a “State of Harmony” that has turned into a boardroom brawl. On Monday, the state leadership issued a stern rejection of two new appointments made by the party’s national headquarters, claiming the appointees are “outsiders” who are not even registered members of the party.

At the heart of the storm are Hon. Abdullahi Maigwandu and Aliyu Muhammad Rabah, who were named Chairman and Secretary, respectively, of the crucial Membership Mobilisation, Revalidation, and Registration (MMRR) Committee. However, factional state chairman Hon. Umar Muhammad Faruk told journalists at the party secretariat that the ink is barely dry on the duo’s resignation letters from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“You cannot build a house by sidelining those who laid the foundation,” Faruk fumed. “These individuals are not properly registered members of the ADC in Sokoto. Maigwandu was a PDP commissioner just 24 hours before this announcement. To appoint them to lead our most strategic committee without consulting the state executive is a violation of our constitution and an attempt to hijack the party through the back door.”

The rejection highlights a deepening rift within the Sokoto ADC, which is already split between Faruk’s camp and a rival faction led by Bello Isiyaku-Keegan. Faruk’s team maintains that the national leadership is “weaponizing” appointments to destabilize the state structure, warning that “all legal options are on the table” to stop the new committee from operating.

The leadership also issued a “public service announcement” to intending members, telling them to avoid any registration process led by Maigwandu and Rabah. They warned that any membership cards issued by the pair might be deemed “worthless” by the legitimate state executive. As the race for 2027 heats up, the ADC in Sokoto seems more focused on checking ID cards at the door than welcoming the very “new blood” the national headquarters is trying to bring in.