ADC Crisis: Omarana Accuses Atiku of Attempt to replace Guber Candidate

….insists that people’s mandate can’t be rewritten 

By Yagana Ali, Yola

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State, Omar Suleiman, popularly known as Omarana, has strongly condemned what he described as an alleged attempt to replace him as the party’s governorship candidate through the backdoor.

Omarana, who addressed journalists in Yola on Friday, expressed outrage over the alleged role of former Vice President and national leader of the ADC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in moves to recognize another aspirant, Modibbo Tukur Ribadu, as the party’s governorship candidate in Adamawa State.

He insisted that he remains the duly elected candidate of the party following the governorship primary election, warning that no political leader, regardless of influence or national standing, has the right to overturn the decision freely made by party members.

The controversy followed an alleged statement or post attributed to Atiku, which reportedly presented Ribadu—who Omarana said emerged second during the party’s governorship primary—as the ADC candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Adamawa State.

Omarana said he was particularly disturbed that Atiku, whom he described as a prominent political figure who has consistently projected himself as an advocate of democracy and popular participation, could be linked to what he termed an attempt to override the will of party members.

According to him, the development was not merely a disagreement over political ambition but a serious test of the credibility of the democratic process within the party.

“I have read with shock the statement attributed to former Vice President and national leader of the ADC, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, purportedly presenting Alhaji Modibbo as the ADC gubernatorial candidate for Adamawa State,” Suleiman said.

“Ordinarily, such a post might have been dismissed as another episode of political mischief. Coming, however, from a former Vice President, a presidential candidate and national leader of our party, and a man who publicly identifies himself as a democrat, it assumes a gravity that cannot be ignored.”

The ADC candidate maintained that the governorship primary election in Adamawa State was conducted in the presence of party members and other stakeholders, with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) supervising the process.

He said he emerged victorious at the end of the exercise, while Modibbo Tukur Ribadu came second, adding that his name was subsequently submitted to INEC as the party’s candidate in accordance with the outcome of the primary election.

Omarana stressed that a mandate freely given by party members through a recognised electoral process could not be withdrawn or transferred based on the preference of any powerful political figure.

“No individual, regardless of his position, influence or stature, has the legal or moral authority to rewrite the result of a primary election or substitute his personal preference for the expressed will of party members,” he declared.

In a move aimed at preventing what he described as an unlawful substitution, Suleiman disclosed that he had approached the Federal High Court to seek judicial protection over his candidature.

He said the legal action was intended to restrain INEC from accepting any purported attempt to replace his name with that of another aspirant pending the determination of the matter by the court.

According to him, the relevant court processes had already been served on INEC as well as the ADC at both the national and state levels.

He further claimed that the former Vice President had been formally informed about the pending legal action, insisting that all parties should therefore exercise restraint and allow the court to determine the issues before it.

Omarana warned that any attempt to alter the outcome of the primary election before the conclusion of the legal process would amount to a disregard for due process and an assault on the democratic rights of the party’s members.

He called for the immediate withdrawal of the alleged post presenting Ribadu as the ADC governorship candidate, urging the party’s national leadership and other influential political actors to avoid actions capable of further escalating the controversy.

“This is not about my personal ambition. It is about the sanctity of our democratic process,” Suleiman said.

“If the votes of party members can simply be overturned with fiat after an election has been conducted, then we are not building democracy; we are replacing it with the very impunity that Nigerians have repeatedly rejected.”

The former diplomat and engineer said the unfolding controversy had raised fundamental questions about internal democracy and the extent to which the decisions of ordinary party members are respected within political parties.

He argued that leadership must be founded on fairness, restraint and respect for established rules, particularly by political leaders who present themselves as champions of democratic governance.

According to him, the governorship ticket of the ADC is not a personal property that can be allocated at the discretion of influential politicians or political godfathers.

“The mandate belongs to the party members who participated in the process and freely made their choice,” he maintained.

Omarana appealed to members and supporters of the ADC across Adamawa State to remain calm and vigilant, assuring them that he would continue to pursue the matter through lawful and democratic means.

He expressed confidence that the rule of law would prevail, insisting that the outcome of a properly conducted primary election must be respected.

“The people’s mandate cannot be rewritten. Democracy means that the people choose, and their choice must be respected,” he said.

Suleiman added that the controversy had placed a major responsibility before the leadership of the ADC, questioning whether the party would uphold the verdict of its members or allow political influence and personal preference to override the collective will expressed at the primary election.

As the dispute continues, Omarana said his focus remains firmly on defending what he described as the mandate freely entrusted to him by members of the African Democratic Congress in Adamawa State.

The Nations News reports that the former vice president Atiku Abubakar or his loyalist is yet to react to the allegation by Omarana as at the time of filing this report.