ADC Holds Fresh Primaries For Birnin Kebbi/Kalgo/Bunza Constituency

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has conducted fresh primaries for aspirants seeking its ticket for the Birnin Kebbi/Kalgo/Bunza Federal Constituency, following a Supreme Court directive requiring political parties to conduct fresh primaries in response to litigation by aspirants nationwide.

The Birnin Kebbi/Kalgo/Bunza Federal Constituency contest attracted particular attention because of its size, proximity to the state capital and the fact that it was among the first to be taken to court by an aspirant, Idris Ibrahim Kalgo, who challenged the victory of Ibrahim Abubakar Dikko.

The fresh primaries were held on Wednesday, with Kalgo and Dikko contesting the party’s ticket. The exercise was conducted without rancour or acrimony in most polling units across the three local government areas, providing another test of internal democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking to journalists in Birnin Kebbi after securing what he described as a landslide victory, Dikko said the large turnout at polling units demonstrated that democracy had come to stay in Nigeria.

He said: “They endured the sunny weather and obeyed the rules set by the national officers of our great party. They conducted themselves in an orderly manner. In the end, we won by a massive margin. I am very proud of them.

“I am therefore appealing to them to maintain the tempo. The journey has just begun; the general elections are around the corner. We must work round the clock to turn out a great number of votes for all ADC candidates at both state and federal levels.”

However, Kalgo rejected the results, alleging that they had been manipulated by the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to advance his ambition to become the governor of Kebbi State.

He said: “It was manipulated by the former Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to suit his political ambition of governing Kebbi State. His chance of winning the election is very slim.

“I am considering returning to court to challenge the results. I don’t see the ADC doing well in the state’s general elections because of clear injustice in the primaries. I am the best candidate to bring positive reforms to my constituency in all sectors of the economy. The party will perform well at the national level.”