2027: APC Receives Alleged ADC Defectors From Four States as Party Disputes Their Credentials

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, September 28, 2026, received a group of politicians presented as former African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidates from Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba and Jigawa states.

The group, led by Princess Aslam Aliyu, visited APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda at the party's national secretariat in Abuja and expressed support for President Bola Tinubu and his 2027 re-election bid. However, the ADC has disputed the identities and political credentials of those presented, saying they were neither its candidates nor leaders.

The politicians were received by APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda at the party's national secretariat in Abuja.

Reports from the APC and several Nigerian news organisations identified the delegation as former ADC candidates who had withdrawn from State House of Assembly contests in four northern states: Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba and Jigawa. The delegation was led by Princess Aslam Aliyu, popularly known as Gimbiyar Kauran Namoda, while Mohammed Hassan of Zamfara spoke on behalf of the group.

Members of the delegation said they were leaving the ADC to work with the APC and support President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda ahead of the 2027 elections.

Yilwatda welcomed the group and urged the new members to return to their wards and begin grassroots mobilisation. He also said their decision would be communicated to President Tinubu and indicated that he would recommend them to governors in their respective states for possible roles in mobilisation activities.

However, the ADC subsequently challenged the APC's account.

In a statement reported by Tribune and The Punch, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the people presented at the APC secretariat were not ADC candidates or leaders. The party challenged the APC to identify the ADC positions the individuals allegedly held, the constituencies they represented and when they held those positions.

As a result, while the APC reception and the group's declaration of support are independently reported, the individuals' status as ADC candidates remains disputed.

The development comes as Nigerian political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections, making movements between political platforms potentially relevant to party organisation and grassroots mobilisation.

For the APC, receiving politicians who say they previously belonged to the ADC provides the ruling party with another opportunity to demonstrate support for its 2027 campaign.

For the ADC, however, the dispute over the identities of the alleged defectors means the political significance of the development cannot be assessed solely from the APC's announcement.

The disagreement also illustrates why the political status of individual defectors matters. Being an elected office holder, a formally nominated candidate, a party official or simply a party supporter carries different political significance.

Key Questions

Were they actually ADC candidates?

That remains disputed.

The APC and several reports described the group as former ADC candidates, including candidates for State Houses of Assembly.

The ADC, however, said the individuals were neither its candidates nor leaders and asked the APC to provide details supporting the credentials attributed to them.

Which states were involved?

The reports identify Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba and Jigawa as the four states represented by the group.

How many people defected?

Reports are not consistent on this point. One report put the number at 12, while other reports refer generally to candidates or representatives of a group without establishing the same figure.

Superior News therefore does not treat a specific number as independently established.

What did the APC ask the new members to do?

Yilwatda urged them to return to their wards and communities and begin grassroots mobilisation for the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

What has the ADC said?

The ADC has rejected the APC's description of the group and challenged the ruling party to substantiate the individuals' claimed ADC credentials.

Political defections are common during Nigerian election cycles, particularly as politicians reassess their party affiliations and electoral strategies.

In this case, however, the most important issue is not simply that a group appeared at the APC secretariat. It is whether the individuals were formally affiliated with the ADC in the capacities claimed by the APC.

That distinction is significant because descriptions such as "candidate" have a specific political meaning. A person who was formally nominated to contest an election is different from someone who merely supported or associated with a political party.

The conflicting accounts mean that readers should distinguish between the confirmed reception by the APC and the unresolved claim about the group's previous status within the ADC.

The immediate unresolved issue is the ADC's challenge to the identities and credentials of the alleged defectors.

The ADC has asked the APC to provide details of the offices, constituencies and positions supposedly held by the individuals under its platform.

Until further documentation or clarification is provided, the claim that the group consisted of formal ADC candidates should be treated as contested rather than conclusively established

The APC has publicly received a group of politicians who declared their departure from the ADC and support for President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections. But the ADC has rejected the description of those individuals as its candidates or leaders, leaving their precise political status as the central unresolved issue.