The leadership crisis that balanced the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Sokoto has deepened as the State Executive Committee rejected on Sunday the alleged return of Bello Isiyaku as president, insisting that the Hon. Umar Muhammad Faruk is still the authentic leader of the party in the state.
Going to journalists at the Nuj press center in Sokoto, the Secretary of State of the party, Yusuf Abdulkadir Alkali, declared that Isiyaku was suspended before the general elections of 2023 after internal disputes that followed his ambition as governor under the ADC platform.
Alkali explained that the national party leadership, under Ralph Nwosu, officially ratified Faruk’s presidency during his national convention in Tsaria in September 2022, making any claim by Isiyaku invalid.
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“At our last meeting attended by 25 members of Exco, 18 voted to reaffirm Hon. Umar Muhammad Faruk as president. The attempt to smuggle Bello Isiyaku in our structure is unconstitutional and unacceptable,” said Alkali.
He accused some elders of the Food Division Party within the party, but emphasized that the Sokoto chapter is still loyal to Faruk and national leadership.
“The exco state has unanimously resolved to reject the statement of Bello Isiyaku and reaffirm our loyalty to Hon. Umar Muhammad Faruk,” he concluded.
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