The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Kebbi State appears to be battling a deep structural crisis, as its grassroots structures across several of the state’s 21 local government areas continue to deteriorate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite emerging as part of a broader opposition coalition at the national level, the party’s internal structure in the state appears fragile, with many of its local government chapters reportedly inactive or deeply divided.
We gathered that the ADC currently struggles to maintain a functional grassroots structure across several of the state’s 21 local government areas.
The development has raised concerns about its capacity to mobilise voters or effectively challenge dominant political forces.
Political observers say the strength of any political party is usually measured by its presence at the grassroots level, including ward executives, local government structures, and consistent mobilisation of supporters.
However, findings indicate that many ADC local government chapters in Kebbi exist largely on paper, with little evidence of regular political activities or coordinated engagement with members.
Leadership crisis deepens party divisions
The situation has been further complicated by a series of internal leadership crises that have rocked the party in recent months.
ADC in Kebbi has been plagued by suspensions, factional disputes and competing claims to leadership positions, all of which have weakened its organisational cohesion.
One of the most prominent crises occurred in October 2025 when the party announced the suspension of Sule-Iko Sadeeq for allegedly declaring himself the state chairman without authorisation.
The suspension was confirmed by the party’s state publicity secretary, Abubakar Atiku-Musa, who said the decision followed consultations with party leaders and directives from the National Working Committee.
Sufiyanu Bala was reaffirmed as the constitutionally recognised chairman of the party in Kebbi at the time.
However, the leadership dispute escalated shortly afterwards when another faction of the party announced the suspension of Bala himself.
The party’s publicity secretary, Jamilu Muhammed, announced the suspension of Bala, his deputy, Junaidu Muhammed Mudi and the state secretary, Hauwa Muhammed.
According to him, the decision was taken after party stakeholders accused the leadership of taking unilateral decisions without consulting other executives.
Muhammed also alleged that the suspended leadership had allowed “Abuja politicians” to dominate the party’s affairs in the state, a development that triggered strong opposition among founding members.
Following the crisis, party stakeholders appointed Abdulrazaq Abubakar Isah Iko as interim state chairman, while Adamu Aliyu emerged as acting secretary pending the conduct of a new congress.
However, in November 2025, a High Court in Birnin Kebbi issued an injunction restraining a faction allegedly aligned with former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, from parading themselves as leaders of the party in the state pending the determination of a substantive suit.
The court order specifically barred suspended officials from presenting themselves as chairman, deputy chairman or secretary of the party.
We observed that the persistent internal crises have significantly weakened the ADC’s ability to build a solid grassroots network across the state.
Our reporter gathered that in several local government areas, party executives are either inactive or divided along factional lines, making mobilisation efforts difficult.
This contrasts sharply with the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which currently controls all local government councils in the state.
In the 2024 local government elections, the APC won all 21 chairmanship positions and 225 councillorship seats across the state, effectively consolidating its control at the grassroots level.
With the development, it would be extremely difficult for smaller parties like the ADC to build the momentum needed for electoral success.
Yet, the party’s fortunes in Kebbi have been closely linked to the political influence of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
We recall that Malami, who officially left the APC in July 2025, joined the ADC as part of a broader opposition coalition, quickly emerging as one of the party’s most prominent figures in the state and the party’s gubernatorial candidate in Kebbi.
His entry into the party initially generated expectations that the ADC could evolve into a formidable opposition platform in Kebbi.
However, political developments have since complicated that possibility.
Sources within the party say Malami’s political momentum has been slowed by ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which have reportedly affected his ability to fully mobilise supporters.
While Malami remains one of the most recognisable opposition figures in the state, the legal and political pressures surrounding him have temporarily weakened the party’s organisational drive.
The absence of a clear and stable leadership structure has further compounded the problem.
Speaking in an interview, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Nasir Idris, Ahmed Idris, dismissed ADC’s political relevance in the state.
“We are not concerned about them; we don’t see them as a strong opposition,” he said.
“In fact, their leader, Malami, never made any serious political impact in Kebbi and has even struggled to win his own polling unit in past elections,” Idris added.
He also questioned the motivations behind the opposition coalition being built around the ADC, suggesting that the effort was driven more by personal political ambition than public interest.
Despite the challenges, the interim leadership of the party insists that efforts were underway to rebuild the party’s structure.
Speaking on the situation, the interim state chairman of the party, Abdulrazaq Abubakar Isah Iko, acknowledged that the party was undergoing a period of reorganisation.
“We acknowledge that the party is going through a phase of reorganisation, but the ADC remains committed to strengthening its structure across all the 21 local government areas of Kebbi State,” he said in an interview.
“What we are doing now is to rebuild and ensure that our grassroots presence becomes more effective ahead of the 2027 general elections,” he added.
He also assured party members that the leadership was working to reposition the ADC as a credible alternative political platform in the state.
“Our focus is on unity, discipline and expansion. We are engaging stakeholders across the state to consolidate the party’s structure and mobilise new members,” he further stated.