Just in: Former APC National Vice Chairman Dumps ADC, Throws Blame at El-Rufai
- Former APC National Vice Chairman Salihu Lukman suspended his ADC membership and quit the opposition coalition over his treatment in Kaduna
- Lukman accused ex-Kaduna Governor El-Rufai and his associates of orchestrating a campaign to sideline him from coalition leadership decisions
- The former APC chieftain also alleged that ex-Rivers Governor Amaechi was engaging questionable individuals in Kaduna while ignoring committed party builders
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FCT, Abuja- Salihu Mohammed Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has stepped back from both his African Democratic Congress (ADC) membership and the broader opposition coalition.
Lukman cited what he described as sustained hostile treatment from former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and his associates.
As reported by DailyTrust, Lukman made the announcement in a message directed to ADC National Chairman Senator David Mark, with copies sent to other coalition leaders.
Salihu blames El-Rufai for exit
Lukman said decisions around the coalition's leadership structure in Kaduna State were manipulated in a manner designed to push him to the margins.
He said he had invested more than a year attempting to reconcile and unify opposition figures in Kaduna, only to find himself the target of what he termed an orchestrated campaign.
"This may come to you as a disappointment. I am very sorry. I just can't continue to bear the painful hostile treatment I keep getting from some leaders from Kaduna, especially Mallam Nasir."
He added that he had been reduced to a nobody within a coalition he had actively worked to build, and that El-Rufai's camp viewed him as the source of the problem.
"For Mallam Nasir and his people, I am the problem. I have decided to resolve the problem for them and everyone."
According to The Guardian, Lukman questioned whether the coalition was genuinely committed to the democratic values it publicly espoused, accusing some of its leaders of reproducing the same political conduct they had once criticised.
He also cites Amaechi as concern
Beyond his grievances with El-Rufai, he said the party's VP candidate, Rotimi Amaechi was engaging individuals in Kaduna State whose commitment to building the ADC was questionable, while those who had put in genuine effort to grow the party's structures were being overlooked.
Taken together, he said these developments had steadily weakened his confidence in the coalition's direction and reduced the ADC to what he described as "a marginal participant" in preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Lukman insisted his decision was directed specifically at the treatment he received from El-Rufai and certain Kaduna-based coalition leaders rather than at the party's broader hierarchy.
Atiku Ally dumps ADC ahead of 2027
Recall ath Aslam Aliyu, a key ally of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar in Zamfara state, resigned from ADC and joined the APC
Aliyu cited the opposition's failure to present a credible governance blueprint as the reason for her defection.
The APC national chairman Nentawe Yilwatda welcomed Aliyu, saying she made the right switch to the ruling party.
Nasarawa senator Onawo dumps ADC
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that Senator Ogoshi Onawo of Nasarawa South dumped the ADC for the Allied Peoples Movement less than two weeks after joining ADC.
The Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau read Onawo's defection letter at Tuesday's plenary, with the resignation dated June 15, 2026.
Onawo cited internal crises and ongoing legal battles within the ADC as the reason for his latest switch.
Source: Legit.ng
