The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Katsina State is facing fresh crisis after two of its governorship aspirants resigned from the party on Sunday, August 9, 2026.

The two politicians are Dr Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, former Secretary to the Katsina State Government, and Lawal Musa Daura, former Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS.

Dr Inuwa announced his resignation from ADC and returned to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, with thousands of supporters.

Inuwa is a veteran politician in Katsina. He served as Commissioner for Education from 2003 to 2006 and as SSG under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He also served as SSG under former Governor Aminu Masari from 2015 to 2022.

In 2022, he resigned as SSG to contest the APC governorship primary but lost to the current Governor, Dikko Radda. He later moved to PDP and led the Atiku Abubakar campaign in Katsina during the 2023 elections.

By 2025, Inuwa had become a key figure in the ADC in Katsina. He contested the 2026 ADC governorship primary but rejected the result which produced Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita as the party’s candidate.

Speaking to supporters in Katsina on Sunday, Inuwa said he left ADC “in the interest of advancing our political aspirations and protecting the interests of our supporters.”

Political observers say his return to APC with a large number of supporters could strengthen the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

On the same day, Lawal Daura also resigned from ADC and announced his defection to the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, in Daura Local Government Area.

Daura, a former DSS DG, also contested the ADC governorship primary but lost to Senator Kaita. He had been questioning the process and calling for a transparent selection.

During an event in Katsina, Daura said his silence during the ADC crisis was to prepare for “a better political option.”
“As I always say, I am in politics because of my people, the Nigerians. I want Nigeria to be back on its feet,” he said.

Sources within the party told reporters that Daura may emerge as running mate to Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, who is reportedly APM’s presidential candidate.

Analysts say Daura’s move to APM may pose a different challenge, as APM has a smaller structure in Katsina compared to APC and PDP.

The exit of the two aspirants comes after the ADC governorship primary in Katsina produced Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita. Both Inuwa and Daura had rejected the outcome, citing issues with the process.

The ADC in Katsina has not yet commented officially on the resignations.

Source: Punch Newspapers