The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State has been thrown into fresh controversy following reports that the name of its governorship candidate, Ambassador Engr. Suleiman Umar, popularly known as Omarana, may have been replaced with that of Modibbo Hamman Tukur Ribadu on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The development has heightened tensions within the party, with different camps issuing conflicting claims over who will ultimately fly the ADC flag in the 2027 Adamawa governorship election.
Political parties were initially expected to submit and upload the names of their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates by Saturday, August 8. However, the deadline was subsequently extended to Tuesday, August 11.
The controversy surrounding Umar’s candidacy reportedly intensified following the resignation of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, from the ADC.
Lawal was said to have strongly backed Umar’s emergence as the party’s governorship candidate, while another political camp associated with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was reportedly believed to have preferred a different aspirant.
Following Lawal’s departure from the party and his subsequent criticism of its leadership, speculation grew that efforts were underway to replace Umar as the ADC candidate.
Lawal, in a statement posted on his verified social media account, reportedly alleged that the ADC national leadership had succumbed to pressure and replaced Umar with Ribadu.
He claimed that Ribadu’s name had been uploaded to the INEC portal as the party’s new governorship candidate.
However, attempts to independently confirm the alleged change at the INEC Adamawa office were unsuccessful.
When INEC announced that cleared candidates and their credentials from political parties had been pasted on notice boards across the states, a correspondent who visited the commission’s Adamawa office could not find the governorship candidates’ list.
An official at the office reportedly explained that the list had not yet been received from INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Omarana Campaign Rejects Replacement Claim
Amid the controversy, the campaign organisation of Ambassador Suleiman Umar issued a statement insisting that he remains the authentic governorship candidate of the ADC in Adamawa State.
The statement followed social media reports suggesting that Ribadu had become the party’s new candidate after the National Working Committee (NWC) allegedly resolved issues
