The Sokoto State chapter of the African Democratic Congress has rejected the appointment of Abdullahi Maigwandu and Aliyu Rabah as Chairman and Secretary of the party’s Membership, Mobilisation, Revitalisation and Registration (MMRR) Committee, warning that it may seek legal action if the decision is not reversed.
Addressing journalists on Monday, February 16, at the ADC State Secretariat, state Chairman Umar Faruk described the appointments as “imposed from outside the state” and made without consultation with the recognised state executive.
He said the move violates the ADC constitution and undermines internal democracy.
“The MMRR committee is a strategic organ of the ADC, tasked with driving grassroots mobilisation, registering new members, and revitalising party structures ahead of future elections,” Faruk said.
He added that sidelining state leaders who laboured to establish the party’s structure threatens cohesion.
Faruk noted that Maigwandu, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, was appointed MMRR chairman a day after resigning from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), while Rabah also defected from the PDP shortly before his appointment.
“These individuals are not properly registered members of the ADC in Sokoto State. There was no engagement with the state leadership, no stakeholders’ meeting and no transparent process,” he said.
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The state leadership warned the party’s national authorities against actions capable of plunging the ADC into crisis in Sokoto.
“We will not fold our arms and watch our party be taken over through the back door. All legal options are on the table to protect the integrity of the ADC in Sokoto,” Faruk said.
State Secretary Yusuf Alkali said the party had concluded arrangements to approach the courts over continued claims to leadership by former chairman Bello Ishyaku Keegan, stressing that legal resolution is necessary to avoid further confusion.
While reaffirming that the ADC remains open to new members, the state leadership emphasised that due process, proper registration, and wide consultation must guide all appointments and political engagements.
“Our doors are open to everyone, but there must be rules. If we abandon due process today, we destroy the party tomorrow,” Faruk warned.