YOLA, August 5, 2025 – The Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has downplayed the recent wave of defections from its ranks, insisting that the party’s foundation remains unshaken ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking exclusively to Arewa PUNCH in Yola on Monday, the party’s Organising Secretary, Mustapha Ribadu, dismissed concerns over the impact of defections by prominent figures, including former Governor Jibrilla Bindow and Senator Aisha Binnani, describing them as politically inconsequential.
“Winning elections is not about individuals, it is about the grassroots people that are behind the party,” Ribadu said. “The people that left the party who are their followers that followed them?”
Ribadu argued that while Bindow once held a powerful position with over 700 aides, 21 commissioners, and chairmen across the state’s 21 local government areas, none of his former allies followed him into his new political fold.
“He lost his polling unit, ward, local government and the entire northern senatorial zone in the last election. What is his political value?” Ribadu asked rhetorically.
The APC chieftain also addressed the defection of Senator Binnani, who was the party’s governorship candidate in 2023, noting that she too lost her base during the last election.
“Senator Aisha Binnani’s ambassadors have now rebranded themselves as Adamawa APC ambassadors. Who exactly followed her to her new party?” he queried.
Ribadu likened the defections to the case of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who, despite switching political parties multiple times, still has his son and political allies rooted in the PDP.
“Politics is not a one-man squad. If Atiku leaves and his son remains in PDP, then what impact did the defection have?” he said.
Internal Crisis is “Manageable”
While acknowledging internal disagreements within the Adamawa APC, Ribadu described the situation as “controllable and manageable,” adding that it is normal for “a big family” to experience divergent views.
“What matters is that we can always disagree to agree,” he said.
On Shettima’s Vice Presidency
On the growing speculation around a possible change in the vice presidency ahead of 2027, Ribadu said President Bola Tinubu has the constitutional right to choose his deputy from any part of the country.
“What we are interested in is good governance. It is not about where the vice president comes from,” he stated. “If the president picks someone from Lagos who can work for him in the interest of Nigeria, so be it.”
Citing the U.S. political model, Ribadu emphasized that zoning should not override performance, saying that what Nigerians need most is a government that delivers.
Despite growing discontent within some quarters of the APC and visible cracks in party unity, Ribadu’s remarks suggest the Adamawa chapter is confident in its electoral strength and dismissive of high-profile exits.
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