Salisu Lukman, a former prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and an ally of former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In his formal resignation letter addressed to the ADC National Chairman, David Mark, Mr Lukman cited “painful, hostile treatment” by party leaders in Kaduna—specifically naming Mr El-Rufai—as the primary reason for his departure.
Mr Lukman lamented that decisions regarding leadership representation in Kaduna were handled in a manner that “reduced [him] to the status of a bastard,” forcing him to excuse himself from the party’s activities. He stated that his vision of building the ADC into a formidable democratic alternative had diminished, accusing party leaders of prioritising personal interests over the collective goal of strengthening Nigerian democracy.
“For many coalition leaders, the objective of rescuing our democracy is just about allowing them to have their way, even when their actions reproduce the old habits that destroyed our former parties,” Mr Lukman wrote. He further warned that internal friction was significantly reducing the ADC’s prospects, potentially relegating it to a “marginal participant” in the upcoming 2027 elections.
