Borno ADC disowns Kashim Imam’s transitional c’ttees

A leadership crisis has emerged in the Borno State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the decision of the State Working Committee to disown the Transitional and Registration Committees reportedly set up by a group led by Kashim Imam Matawalle, a coalition figure at the national level.

The state chairman of the party, Alhaji Umara Bolori, who led other party executives and members to a press conference in Maiduguri on Tuesday, warned that the ADC would take legal action against anyone attempting to hijack the party’s structure in the state.

Bolori said the party would not tolerate any attempt by what he described as “political jobbers” to infiltrate the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He accused Kashim Imam and his associates of trying to impose themselves on the party despite having no grassroots presence in the state, describing them as “Abuja-based political tourists”.

“While I and other stakeholders were making wider consultations before the inauguration of committees to steer the party in the state, some purported party members led by Kashim Imam Matawalle engaged political thugs and forcefully entered the meeting venue, breaching security and causing injuries to loyal party members and security personnel,” he said.

“Based on the foregoing, the State Working Committee dissociates itself from any action taken during the meeting because the leadership of the party in the state was not involved.

“Appropriate steps will be taken to remedy the situation. Relevant security agencies, including the police and the DSS, have been informed to curtail any recurrence of such illegal activities,” Bolori added.

He urged party members to remain calm and law-abiding while efforts are ongoing to address the situation.

Bolori also called on the national leadership of the ADC to immediately intervene in the party’s affairs in Borno State and call Kashim Imam Matawalle and his associates to order, warning that their actions could lead to widespread rejection of the party by the people of the state.

Also speaking, the Assistant National Organising Secretary and North-east Organising Secretary of the ADC, Mohammed Abba Kyari, said the group was battling to hijack the soul and structure of the ADC in their desperate quest for personal relevance and political survival ahead of the 2027 general elections.

When contacted, the chairman of the disputed Transitional and Registration Committees, Hon. Ali Bukar Wurge, dismissed the claims, insisting that the committees were inaugurated after due process.

According to him, the committees were constituted by the national chairman of the party, Senator David Mark, adding that the state chairman was duly informed and listed as a member.

“This is a national issue. The committee was formed by the national chairman, and a copy of the letter was sent to him,” Wurge said.

“I am the interim chairman and he knows it very well. He is also a member of the committee. We did not constitute ourselves; we were inaugurated at the national level in the presence of the national vice-chairman of the ADC and the party leader, Kashim Imam, as well as other party members,” he said.

Wurge described the press conference as unfortunate, alleging that the state chairman may be acting on the script of unnamed individuals.

He added that Bolori declined to attend the inauguration of the committee, allegedly out of fear that it would threaten his position, insisting that the committee was not set up to undermine anyone.

The emerging crisis in the Borno chapter of the ADC mirrors similar disputes that have recently rocked the party in Adamawa and Kogi states.

Ex-PDP gov’ship candidate defects to ADC

Meanwhile, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State, Mohammed Ali Jajari, has defected to the  ADC.

Confirming the development on Tuesday, the Borno State chairman of the ADC, Yerima Bolori, said Jajari had joined the party and would be formally registered once the state transition and registration committee is constituted.

Reacting, the Borno State chairman of the PDP, Zannah Gaddama, said Jajari’s defection did not come as a surprise and described it as a relief to the party.

Gaddama further alleged that Jajari did not add value to the PDP, claiming that he failed to vote in his local government area during the 2023 governorship election.

“He is a minus to the PDP. Since he lost the election in 2023, he has not even visited Maiduguri,” he said, warning the ADC to be cautious in assigning him responsibilities.

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