Defection Storm Brews in Adamawa ADC: Atiku’s Inner Circle Splinters Over Unequal Power Grab

By Tom Garba, Yola

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State teeters on the brink of collapse, as a bitter leadership feud threatens to trigger mass defections among high-profile members who recently abandoned the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the party.

At the heart of the turmoil: allegations that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presumed 2027 presidential frontrunner, is favoring loyalists from his Jada hometown, sidelining experienced defectors and igniting cries of favoritism and democratic sabotage.

The crisis, simmering since Atiku’s high-profile defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in July 2025, has escalated into open warfare over the appointment of a five-man caretaker committee to steer the party’s nascent structures ahead of the 2027 polls. Sources close to the fray reveal that Atiku initially backed the nomination of Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Dasin—a seasoned former Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, ex-House of Representatives member, and practicing lawyer—for the committee’s chairmanship.

Dasin, endorsed by Northeast National Vice Chairman Engr. Babachir David Lawal and a cadre of party stakeholders, was seen as the unifying figure to professionalize the ADC’s operations and broaden its appeal.

But in a dramatic reversal, Atiku reportedly rejected Dasin in favor of Sa’idu Gumchiri, a lesser-known operative from his own Atiku Support Group—a political vehicle that propelled the former VP’s campaigns.

Insiders allege this pivot stemmed from intense lobbying by Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani (Binani), the APC’s 2023 Adamawa gubernatorial candidate who defected to the ADC alongside Atiku. After Binani’s preferred pick, her gubernatorial campaign Director General Senator Ahmed Barata, was rebuffed by stakeholders, she allegedly leveraged familial ties within Atiku’s circle to install Gumchiri.

The move, critics charge, would hand Binani de facto control of the state apparatus, paving her path to the party’s gubernatorial ticket without contest.

“This is not leadership—it’s a hijacking,” fumed an anonymous ADC loyalist and recent APC defector, speaking to TGNews on condition of anonymity. “Gumchiri’s elevation reeks of cornering the structure for one aspirant. Dasin has the gravitas to build inclusively, without favoritism. If this stands, we’re out—straight to another party.”

The discontent runs deep among the party’s “strong members,” a cohort of heavyweights who crossed over from the APC expecting equitable roles in the ADC’s rebuilding phase. Prominent among them: Senator Abdul-Aziz Murtala Nyako, a vocal Atiku ally; Engr. Omar Suleiman, a technocratic influencer; and former Governor Senator Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow, whose gubernatorial posters now plaster Adamawa under the ADC banner, signaling his intent to reclaim the throne.

These figures, who brought their networks and about 90% of Bindow’s erstwhile cabinet with them, feel “caged out” from decision-making, according to background checks by TGNews. Their frustration boils over into fears that Atiku’s choices undermine the “fair play” principle essential for a party still in its “lantern stage” of membership drives and unity consultations.

Compounding the rift is the geographic imbalance: Atiku hails from Jada, as does national figure Umar Bello Jada (a key ADC organizer). Installing Gumchiri, another Jada native, as caretaker chair is viewed as a blatant violation of power-sharing norms. “Why stack the deck from one town?” the insider queried. “It’s not just unfair—it’s a recipe for implosion.”

The leadership vacuum has already fractured the state executive. A parallel contest rages between Comrade Shehu Yohanna, the recognized chairman, and challenger Sheik Arabo, with factions trading barbs over legitimacy.

Just last month, in September 2025, the national ADC deployed a reconciliation committee to Adamawa amid similar skirmishes in Gombe State, only for Yohanna’s camp to dismiss it as unauthorized. Comrade Umar Yakubu, speaking for concerned stakeholders, accused rivals of “desperation” aimed at derailing unity. Yohanna’s group, in turn, insists it alone holds the reins, vowing to weather the “hiccups” of a “mega coalition.”

Atiku’s personal authority is under scrutiny too. During a recent Yola visit by Nyako and Binani, the duo reportedly traded “verbal banters and tongue-waggling” in Atiku’s presence—exchanging “dirty words” that exposed his waning clout.

The former VP’s failure to intervene, sources say, underscores a deeper malaise: Atiku as a “weaker link” unable to rein in Adamawa’s fractious elite. “It’s disrespectful,” the loyalist lamented. “If he can’t control the state chapter, how will he lead nationally? We’re not building a party—we’re building a chiefdom.”

As hopeful gubernatorial aspirants erect parallel structures ahead of primaries, the insider warned of a domino effect: “Some are already packing bags. Without intervention from critical stakeholders, I foresee the ADC collapsing—state and national levels. This isn’t democracy; it’s a power grab.”

Atiku’s camp has yet to respond to TGNews queries, but his recent pledge to step aside for a younger ADC primary winner signals openness to internal competition—though skeptics see it as damage control amid the defections he sparked. With Atiku’s donation of a prime Yola property as the new ADC secretariat boosting the party’s optics, the irony stings: a gift meant to solidify gains now risks unraveling them.

For Adamawa’s ADC, the 2027 dream hangs by a thread. Will Atiku broker peace, or will the defections he ignited consume his new political home? As one stakeholder put it: “The coalition was born in hope. It’s dying in division.”