Lukman Warns El-Rufai, Others Over ADC Crisis In Kaduna

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Salisu Mohammed Lukman, has raised the alarm over what he described as the “madness of controlling the structures” of the party in Kaduna State, warning that the internal struggle among ambitious politicians could derail the opposition’s chances in 2027.

In a strongly worded Independence Day message to members of the ADC released to journalists in Kaduna on Wednesday, Lukman expressed mixed feelings about the country’s 65th independence anniversary, noting that while the coalition that adopted the ADC as its platform had been a blessing, the party was already drifting into internal power tussles that could weaken it.

“Instead of working to build the party, we are setting ourselves to produce a party whose business will be limited to presenting candidates for elections,” Lukman lamented.

“People with ambition to contest elections have become restless and want to dominate the process of developing the structures of the party to the exclusion of their opponents. The madness of controlling the structures of ADC is the biggest threat before us.”

The former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum warned that unless leaders and stakeholders put aside their personal ambitions, the ruling All Progressives Congress in Kaduna would remain unchallenged in 2027.

According to him, the situation is worsened by some opposition leaders in the state allegedly taking sides with certain aspirants rather than providing neutral and fair leadership.

“Sadly, some of our leaders instead of providing fair leadership are taking sides with strengthening aspiring candidates for 2027 elections across the state to the exclusion of others,” he said.

Lukman specifically appealed to prominent opposition leaders in Kaduna including former governor Nasir El-Rufai, Malam Jaafaru Sani and Alhaji Bashir Saidu, to discourage the divisive scramble for control of party structures.

He said: “I want to use the opportunity of this independence anniversary to appeal to all of us to stop this madness of trying to take over structures of ADC and control it to the exclusion of so-called opponents.

“If ADC is to emerge as a strong party capable of defeating the APC in Kaduna State, we must agree to work together. Anybody who is not ready to work as part of a united opposition in Kaduna State is consciously or unconsciously working for APC.”

The party chieftain admitted personal disappointment that despite his interventions, he had been unable to prevent the escalating rift, citing the activities of Senator Musa Bello in Zone 2 as an example.

“The fact that we have Sen. Musa Bello aggressively seeking to control structures of ADC in Zone 2 is a reflection of my failure. Largely because I am in recent times associated with Sen. Musa Bello, Sen. Lawal Adamu (Mr. La) has avoided all my requests to meet him,” Lukman said.

He explained that he had already engaged Jaafaru Sani and had discussions with El-Rufai, but noted that efforts had not yielded the desired unity.

“Sincerely, I am saddened by the fact that we are not united and the perception is that I am part of the problem. As a citizen from Kaduna State, I am willing to make every necessary sacrifice to move our state forward. I have no ambition to contest the election,” he added.

He reminded party members that his contributions to forming the coalition and negotiating the agreement with ADC were borne out of a desire for collective leadership rather than personal ambition.

He noted that defeating the APC should not be the sole objective of the ADC coalition, but building a truly inclusive government in Kaduna State.

“We must bear in mind, it is not just about defeating APC but more about producing a government controlled by our party (ADC) based on collective leadership.

“We need to put an end to the era when we produce emperors as governors. Anything short of producing a government managed by collective leadership under ADC will be unacceptable,” he added.

Lukman concluded with an appeal for unity, praying that God would guide leaders and members towards harmony both within the party and across Kaduna State.

“May I therefore appeal to Mal. Nasir and all our leaders to please seek to unite all of us. It is only if we are united in ADC that we can be able to unite our people in the state to defeat the APC in 2027. May God Almighty touch the heart of all us and guide us towards unity both within the ADC and in the state,” he said.