Supporters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday staged a protest at the party’s Adamawa State secretariat in Yola over an alleged plan to substitute its governorship candidate, Omar Suleiman, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The protesters, operating under the banner of Adamawa Forward, said the demonstration was aimed at protecting the party’s internal democracy and defending the mandate they claimed had been freely given to Suleiman by party stakeholders.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Omar Is Our Choice,” “No Substitution,” “Respect the People’s Mandate,” and “Hands Off Our Candidate,” the demonstrators occupied the entrance to the party secretariat, chanting slogans and demanding that the party leadership uphold the outcome of its internal processes.
Addressing journalists, the group’s leaders alleged that some party officials, particularly at the national level, were plotting to replace Suleiman with another candidate.
“This protest is to protect the unity of our party and defend the democratic rights of our members. We will resist any attempt to alter the mandate freely given to Omar Suleiman by party stakeholders,” a spokesperson for the group said.
The protesters also accused some national officials of engaging in what they described as political manipulation aimed at imposing a different candidate.
“Some officials at the national level are involved in actions that amount to racketeering and political manipulation. Any attempt to substitute Omar Suleiman will be strongly resisted by party members across Adamawa State,” the group alleged.
They urged the ADC national leadership to respect the wishes of members in the state and preserve the integrity of the party’s democratic process.
“We call on the national leadership to respect the wishes of party members in Adamawa and refrain from actions capable of deepening the crisis and undermining the party’s chances in the 2027 elections,” the protesters said.
The ADC leadership had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
