The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has asked the two rival factions of the party in Jigawa State to withdraw the court cases they filed against each other over the party’s governorship ticket.
The call came after a reconciliation meeting involving both groups. The factions agreed to maintain the status quo and recognise the list of candidates already submitted to and published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the interest of the party’s unity and progress.
Ali Tukur, a member of the ADC National Executive Committee and its Northwest Organising Secretary, confirmed the development in an interview with Tribune.
Tukur said the meeting was led by Atiku, the ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and other senior leaders of the party.
He said Senator Sabo Muhammad Nakudu and Hon. Bashir Adamu Jimbo, who lead the two opposing groups in Jigawa, accepted the reconciliation terms and signed an agreement to end their legal battles.
According to Tukur, Nakudu’s group had filed one of the cases against the Jimbo faction over the list of candidates uploaded to the INEC portal. The dispute included the governorship running mate, as well as some National and State Assembly candidates.
He added that the Jimbo faction had also gone to court to challenge Nakudu’s eligibility to contest the governorship election. The group alleged that there were irregularities in the primary election that produced him as the ADC candidate.
Tukur said the intervention by Atiku and other national leaders helped both sides resolve their differences and begin a fresh process of reconciliation within the Jigawa chapter.
Speaking after the meeting, Atiku welcomed the agreement reached between Nakudu and Jimbo.
He said: “I am pleased to share this moment with two leading members of our ADC family in Jigawa State—our governorship candidate, Senator Muhammad Sabo Nakudu, and Hon. Bashir Adamu Jimbo.
“Elections and internal contests are an inevitable part of every democratic process. They may produce differences, but the strength of a political family is ultimately measured by its capacity to rise above those differences, reconcile competing interests and unite around a common purpose.
“Today, we have chosen unity over division and cooperation over acrimony. The contest is behind us. The task ahead is greater than any individual ambition, and it demands that every member of our party bring their strength, experience and commitment to the collective cause.
“We reaffirm that we are one ADC family in Jigawa State, across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“With mutual respect, renewed trust and a shared determination to work together, we move forward as one—united in purpose, focused on the task ahead and committed to building a stronger party for the challenges before us.”
Atiku urges rival ADC factions in Jigawa to withdraw court cases