A fresh crisis has emerged within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State following the issuance of a certificate of return to governorship aspirant Isa Mohammed Ashiru, despite a pending court case over the party’s governorship primary.
Supporters of another aspirant, Shuaibu Idris Mikati, have rejected the certificate, insisting that the dispute over the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election remains unresolved.
The development comes as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has displayed Ashiru’s name on its portal.
The position of Mikati’s supporters was contained in a statement issued by the Coalition of Supporters of Hon. Idris Shuaibu Mikati across the 23 local government areas and the ADC Youth Vanguard on behalf of the aspirant.
The group condemned the issuance of the certificate of return to Ashiru on October 4, 2026, describing the action as procedurally flawed because of the pending court case.
“It is with deep disappointment and total condemnation the illegal and procedurally flawed of a purported issuance of Certificate of Return to Hon Isa Ashiru on October 4, 2026 for the position of governorship candidate of ADC in Kaduna State despite a pending court case,” the statement said.
The coalition recalled that after the party’s May 2026 primary, the Primary Election Committee declared Ashiru the winner with 86,113 votes.
It said four aggrieved aspirants, including Mikati, subsequently petitioned the Electoral Appeal Committee constituted by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
According to the statement, the appeal committee, chaired by Dr. Mustapha Fagge, reviewed the evidence and overturned Ashiru’s declaration, instead declaring Mikati the party’s candidate.
The coalition said the decision was based on evidence presented to the committee, legal advice from the party’s lawyers, including its National Legal Adviser, reports from security agencies and other supporting documents.
Questioning the issuance of the certificate of return, the group asked: “How can a Certificate of Return be issued without a formal NWC/NEC ratification vote while an active internal appeal verdict in favor of Mikati is pending? This action was done ultra vires and without due process.”
The coalition said it rejected the certificate issued to Ashiru, arguing that it was invalid because it was not based on a ratified decision of the NWC or National Executive Committee (NEC).
“We reject in totality the purported Certificate of Return issued to Isa Ashiru. It is clearly, flawed, null, void and of no effect as it was not issued pursuant to a ratified NWC/NEC decision,” it stated.
The group maintained that Mikati remained the rightful ADC candidate for the 2027 Kaduna governorship election, citing what it described as his victory before the party’s appeal committee.
It called on the party’s national leadership to reverse the issuance of the certificate, convene an emergency NWC meeting and uphold the report of the appeal committee chaired by Fagge.
The coalition also said Mikati had approached the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, to seek legal redress over the dispute.
It warned that the principle of lis pendens, which concerns matters already pending before a court, was applicable to the dispute and that any attempt to submit Ashiru’s name to INEC could face legal challenges and possible nullification by the courts.
The allegations and demands were made by Mikati’s supporters. The statement did not include a response from Ashiru or the ADC national leadership.
