The African Democratic Congress has dismissed as invalid the reported suspension of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, by a faction of the party in Adamawa State, saying the group behind the move lacks the authority to take such action.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the announcement carried no weight within the ADC and would not be recognised by the national leadership. “Those saying it don’t have the power to do that,” Abdullahi said, dismissing the claim as baseless. He described those behind it as “jesters,” underscoring the party’s position that no valid disciplinary measure had been taken against Atiku or Lawal.
The response followed a press conference in Yola by a factional chairman, Raji Zumo, who announced the suspension of Atiku, Lawal and the party’s transition committee chairman, Sadiq Ibrahim. Zumo accused the trio of fostering disunity, creating parallel structures, undermining lawful authority and disregarding a subsisting court order. Similar accounts of the announcement were reported by Premium Times, TheCable and Punch.
The controversy comes at a delicate time for the ADC, which has been battling internal disputes at both state and national levels. Reports indicate that the party remains fractured by competing claims to leadership positions, including rival camps around its national structure following the recent convention.
Lawal had earlier rejected the purported suspension, describing it as the work of people with no legitimate standing in the party. Punch also reported that ADC figures in Adamawa questioned Zumo’s authority, with one state official saying he had long ceased to function in the party’s recognised structure.
ADC chieftain Eze Chukwuemeka Eze also condemned the move, describing it as “a callous act by hunger-driven sycophants and enemies of democracy.” He argued that the action was orchestrated by a non-existent faction and framed it as part of broader attempts to weaken opposition figures ahead of future elections.
