A new crisis hits the Kaduna ADC as the Mikati camp challenges Ashiru’s candidacy

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State is facing a fresh internal crisis as supporters of the governorship aspirant, Hon. Idris Shuaibu Abubakar Mikati objected to the issuance of a certificate of return to Hon. Isa Ashiru as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

Support groups Kaduna ADC Youth Vanguard and Mikati, in a statement issued by their leader, Usman Sani, described the purported issuance of the certificate to Ashiru on October 4, 2026 as procedurally flawed and urged the party’s national leadership to reverse the decision.

The coalition said Ashiru was declared the winner of the party’s May 2026 governorship primary with 86,113 votes, but said four aggrieved aspirants, including Mikati, later appealed the outcome to the party’s election appeals committee.

According to the group, the committee, chaired by Dr Mustapha Fagge, reviewed the petitions and evidence presented before it and rescinded Ashiru’s statement, instead recognizing Mikati as the candidate.

Supporters said the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) still had to formally meet to consider and ratify the appeals committee’s report before the certificate was issued to Ashiru.

They also said Mikati had approached the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, over the dispute, warning that submitting Ashiru’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while the matter remained unresolved could trigger further legal challenges.

The coalition maintained that Mikati remained the legitimate candidate based on what it described as the outcome of the party’s internal appeals process.

He called on the national leadership of the ADC to convene an emergency meeting of the NWC to consider the appeal committee’s report and address the dispute, accusing the party leadership of circumventing its internal dispute resolution mechanism.

The group, however, urged its supporters across Kaduna State to remain calm and law-abiding while the matter is addressed through the appropriate judicial and party processes.