Hanny Henry
The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State, Amb. (Engr.) Omar Suleiman, has called on former Vice President and ADC national leader, Atiku Abubakar, to withdraw a social media post reportedly presenting Alhaji Modibbo as the party’s governorship candidate for the state.
Suleiman, who described the development as a threat to the integrity of the party’s primary election, maintained that he remains the duly elected ADC governorship candidate for Adamawa State, having emerged victorious at the party’s primary.
In a statement on Friday, Suleiman said the primary was conducted under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and witnessed by party members and members of the public.
He said Modibbo came second in the exercise and that his name was subsequently submitted to INEC as the party’s candidate.
The development has opened a fresh dispute within the ADC in Adamawa, with Suleiman insisting that the outcome of the primary cannot be altered through what he described as political influence or personal preference.
According to him, he had anticipated the possibility of an attempt to substitute his name and had therefore approached the Federal High Court seeking judicial protection for the mandate he secured at the primary.
He said he specifically sought an injunction restraining INEC from accepting any substitution of his name by the party or any individual, adding that the relevant court processes had been served on INEC as well as the national and state leadership of the ADC.
Suleiman further claimed that Atiku had been formally briefed by the party about the pending court action, stressing that the matter should therefore be allowed to follow due process until the court reaches a determination.
“Until the court determines otherwise, no individual—regardless of his position, influence or stature—has the legal or moral authority to rewrite the result of a primary election,” he said.
The ADC candidate said the dispute was bigger than his personal political ambition, arguing that it was about protecting the votes of party members and preserving democratic principles within the party.
He warned that overturning the outcome of an election after votes had been cast would weaken confidence in the democratic process and create room for the same impunity that Nigerians had repeatedly rejected.
Suleiman therefore appealed to Atiku to withdraw the post and refrain from any action that could undermine the primary election and the judicial process already underway.
He also urged ADC members, supporters and the wider public in Adamawa to remain calm and vigilant, assuring them that he would continue to pursue the matter through lawful and democratic channels.
“The mandate belongs to the people who gave it. It cannot be appropriated by an individual,” Suleiman said.
He called on political leaders within the ADC to respect the choice made by party members, stressing that democracy requires that electoral decisions be honoured rather than overturned through political fiat.
