Group Defends Kashim Imam, Waziri In Bauchi ADC Leadership Dispute

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Youth Ambassadors Initiative (ANYA) has risen in defence of two prominent party leaders amid the festering leadership crisis rocking the party’s Bauchi State chapter, declaring that their interventions were driven solely by a quest for peace and constitutional order.

Addressing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Bauchi on Monday, the Northeast Coordinator of ANYA, Barrister Bala Pali, speaking on behalf of National Convener Hon. Ahmad Shehu Hassan (Na-Allah), dismissed allegations of interference levelled against party heavyweights, including Kashim Imam and Adamu Maina Waziri.

Pali said the duo stepped into the fray strictly in the interest of reconciliation and institutional stability, following controversies surrounding the alleged removal of Local Government Chairmen across the 20 local government areas of Bauchi State.

According to him, Imam and Waziri, as members of the party’s national leadership structure representing the Northeast, possess the constitutional mandate to wade into disputes affecting the region.

“Our leaders acted within their rights and responsibilities to ensure that due process is followed. Their intervention was not an imposition but a move to safeguard unity and strengthen internal democracy,” Pali stated.

The youth body maintained that, based on directives reportedly issued by the party’s national leadership, the existing local government leadership structure in Bauchi should remain in place pending the conclusion of proper constitutional procedures.

ANYA warned against what it described as deliberate attempts to misrepresent the roles of respected stakeholders, cautioning that such narratives risk deepening divisions within the party at a critical time.

Observers say the Bauchi chapter crisis, if not carefully managed, could test the cohesion of the ADC in the Northeast, a region considered strategic to the party’s growth plans.

In a related development, the ADC youth wing expressed condolences to families affected by the recent bandit attack in Gwana district of Alkaleri Local Government Area, which reportedly claimed lives and led to abductions. The group called for intensified security measures to stem the tide of violence and protect vulnerable communities.

As the leadership tussle continues, party faithful and political watchers alike will be keenly observing whether the calls for unity and due process will douse tensions—or further inflame an already delicate situation within the Bauchi ADC fold.

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