By Excellence Oseose
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s claim that some of its House of Assembly candidates from Jigawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara States defected to the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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The ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Monday, described the APC’s claim as unfounded, insisting that the individuals presented at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja were neither ADC candidates nor leaders of the party.
The development followed reports that a group led by Princess Aslam Aliyu, also known as Gimbiyar Kauran Namoda, had resigned from the ADC and joined the APC while declaring support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.
Reacting to the claim, however, Abdullahi said the APC had no basis for describing the individuals as ADC candidates.
“The APC cannot assemble random individuals at its secretariat, confer imaginary ADC credentials on them and then announce their defection,” he said.
“While the APC Chairman is welcome to receive visitors, he should stop introducing them to Nigerians as people they are not. These people are not our candidates.”
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The ADC spokesman also challenged the APC to provide evidence of the political positions and constituencies allegedly held or represented by the purported defectors under the ADC.
“The APC should state the ADC offices these individuals supposedly held, the constituencies they represented as our candidates and when they held those positions,” Abdullahi said.
He further dismissed the explanation attributed to the purported defectors that their decision was influenced by the performance of the Tinubu administration in Northern Nigeria.
According to him, the APC should provide evidence of how its claims about development in the region have translated into improved living conditions for Nigerians.
“Having invented ADC credentials for its guests, the APC has supplied an equally imaginative account of its performance over the past few years,” he said.
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The ADC spokesman accused the ruling party of focusing on political publicity rather than providing evidence of improvements in the lives of Nigerians, while the APC has separately defended its record in Northern Nigeria by citing infrastructure projects and other federal programmes.
The controversy comes amid heightened political realignments and disputes among parties ahead of the 2027 general elections. Recent reports have also highlighted internal disagreements within the ADC and other opposition parties over candidates and party structures.