2027: More APC Members Join SDP as Adamu Pushes Campaign in Nasarawa

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) campaign of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, says that many people are leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the opposition party. This is causing worry for the ruling party in Nasarawa State as the 2027 governorship election approaches.

Douglas Otaru, who is the Director of Digital Media and Strategic Communications for the Adamu Campaign Council, made this statement while discussing recent political changes.

Mr Otaru said that the movement of APC members to the SDP shows that many are unhappy with the ruling party. He claimed that the APC is getting more worried about Mr Adamu becoming a strong candidate for the governorship.

“The APC is battling political hypertension while we in the SDP are calm and confident,” Mr Otaru stated.

He mentioned that the recent defections indicate that more people are seeing the SDP as a good option before the 2027 election.

The former police chief was a key aspirant for the APC governorship ticket in the party’s May primary. Senator Ahmed Wadada won that primary, getting 195,285 votes. Mr Adamu came second with 39,675 votes, while Professor Mohammed Sani Haruna received 5,844 votes, according to reports from PREMIUM TIMES.

After the primary, Mr Adamu resigned from the APC. He rejected the results and accused the party of mishandling its internal processes. He later joined the SDP and became the party’s governorship candidate after a replacement primary in September due to the withdrawal of Musa Angbazo.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Adamu was the only candidate in this replacement primary, which took place in all 13 local government areas of the state. His switch to the SDP has changed the political landscape in the state as the former IGP aims to draw supporters from the ruling party ahead of the election.

Among those who have left the APC is Mohammed Ari, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police and a former APC senatorial aspirant for Nasarawa South. Mr Ari announced his move to the SDP in September, calling for more inclusiveness, internal democracy, and accountability in political parties.

Four members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, namely Mohammed Omadefu, Isimbabi Garba, Kudu Ajegana, and Inarigu Kana, have also been reported to leave the APC due to disagreements within the party.

These defections have raised concerns about whether the APC can keep its political unity as the governorship election nears. Mr Adamu is also getting support from former Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura, who endorsed his governorship ambition during the APC primary.

Mr Al-Makura, who served two terms as governor and is now a senator, publicly supported Mr Adamu’s bid for the APC ticket before the primary. His backing is significant because of his political history in the state and his ability to gather political support.

According to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Al-Makura’s support could make it harder for the APC to keep the governorship, especially if a large part of his political network decides to back Mr Adamu’s SDP campaign.

Mr Al-Makura’s importance in politics comes from his 2011 governorship victory, when he defeated the then-incumbent governor, Aliyu Akwe Doma, as a member of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which later merged to form the APC.

Still, his current role does not guarantee electoral support for Mr Adamu. Mr Al-Makura is still linked to the APC and the Tinubu administration, so how much he will help the SDP campaign remains an open question leading up to 2027.

The former governor’s support means that Mr Adamu is not just running as a former IGP who lost an APC primary. He is also trying to build on a political network that has been active in the state for years.

In May, before the APC primary, supporters of some aspirants who withdrew from the race announced their support for Mr Adamu. These supporters came from all 13 local government areas and included groups linked to former National Primary Health Care Development Agency chief executive, Faisal Shuaib, and former aspirant Ahmed Mohammed.

This support came after Mr Adamu’s campaign opposed attempts to choose a preferred APC candidate without a competitive primary process. Mr Otaru called the recent defections proof that the SDP is growing in the state.

He expressed confidence that Mr Adamu would beat the APC candidate in the 2027 election. The APC, however, still has a strong advantage as the ruling party in the state. Mr Wadada won the APC governorship primary by a wide margin and has the backing of Governor Abdullahi Sule.

The election is shaping up to be a fight between Mr Wadada’s established APC structure and Mr Adamu’s efforts to gather support from unhappy APC members and former political allies, as well as parts of Mr Al-Makura’s political network.

The SDP campaign’s claim of Mr Adamu’s growing popularity is a political statement. There is no independent polling to show how much support he has across the state.

There is also an unresolved issue about Mr Adamu’s candidacy. PREMIUM TIMES reported in September that his campaign insists he is still the SDP candidate, despite questions from a Supreme Court ruling regarding the Electoral Act and its effect on party memberships and candidate nominations.

As of now, the APC has not responded to Mr Otaru’s recent claims.