Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2023 Adamawa election, has officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Her media aide, Maulud Usman, confirmed the defection on Sunday, stating that Binani arrived in Yola on Saturday and privately announced her move to a few family members and close associates. While rumours of her defection had circulated on social media earlier in the day, official confirmation only came later with no formal media announcement.
According to Usman, the declaration was deliberately kept low-key, but Binani plans to return to Yola soon for a more public and elaborate unveiling of her new political affiliation.
Binani, who represented Adamawa Central in the Senate, lost narrowly to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 governorship election. Her departure from the APC comes after months of reported internal strife and discomfort with the party’s state leadership.
Sources close to the situation suggest that Binani had grown disillusioned with the APC’s perceived loyalty to National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who is regarded as the party’s leader in Adamawa by virtue of his federal position. Ribadu, one of the aspirants defeated by Binani in the 2022 APC primaries, is speculated to be positioning either himself or a preferred candidate for the 2027 governorship race.
Observers believe Binani’s move to the ADC signals a new chapter in her political career as she positions herself for future contests, free from the internal tensions that plagued her time in the APC.
