The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State has officially confirmed Shuaibu Idris Mikati as its governorship candidate following a thorough review of petitions lodged by aspirants after the primary election. The decision was announced by the party’s Appeal Committee, led by Dr. Muhammed Mustapha Fagge, who stated that the panel meticulously examined all complaints, documents, and submissions before arriving at its conclusion.
According to Fagge, the committee unanimously validated Mikati’s victory after determining that he garnered the highest number of legitimate votes. The panel further noted that evidence presented during the review indicated irregularities and alleged fraudulent activities involving some rival governorship aspirants, which reinforced their decision to uphold Mikati’s candidacy.
In addition to the governorship race, the committee affirmed the wins of Tukur Salisu Kakeyi in the Zaria Federal Constituency primary and Muhammed Mahmoud Aliyu in the Soba Federal Constituency contest, after confirming that both candidates secured the highest number of valid votes.
However, several other primaries were declared inconclusive due to irregularities, procedural violations, omission of candidates from ballot papers, and lack of sufficient evidence that voting actually took place. For instance, the committee ordered a rerun in the Ikara/Kubau Federal Constituency after discovering that cleared aspirant Ibrahim Danlami Kubau had been left off the ballot. Similarly, a fresh primary was mandated for Kaduna South Federal Constituency when investigators found no credible proof that elections were conducted across all wards.
The committee also directed rerun elections in several other constituencies and wards, including Kaura, Soba, Ikara, Kajuru, Badarawa/Malali, Magajin Gari II, Birnin Gwari, Tudun Wada West, Igabi, Kagarko, Kawo, Zaria, Chikun/Kajuru, and Kudan/Makarfi.
In another key ruling, the panel stated that any attempt to adopt a consensus or affirmation process for the Kaduna North Senatorial District primary would be invalid unless all parties involved agreed to it. Fagge emphasized that the committee was guided by principles of fairness, transparency, inclusiveness, and internal democracy. “Our decisions were reached strictly on the basis of facts, evidence, and the provisions of the party’s guidelines,” he said, adding that the committee remains committed to protecting the integrity of the party’s internal electoral process and ensuring that the wishes of members are respected.