The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) claim that some of its House of Assembly candidates from Jigawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara states have defected to the ruling party and declared support for President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement issued on Monday, September 28, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the individuals presented at the APC national secretariat in Abuja were neither ADC candidates nor party leaders.

The statement followed an earlier announcement by the APC that some ADC House of Assembly candidates from the four states had joined the ruling party and pledged support for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Abdullahi described the APC’s claim as false and challenged the party to provide evidence of the political positions and candidacies it attributed to the individuals.

“The APC cannot assemble random individuals at its secretariat, confer imaginary ADC credentials on them and then announce their defection,” Abdullahi said.

He added that while the APC national chairman was free to receive visitors at the party’s secretariat, the individuals should not be presented to the public as ADC candidates.

“These people are not our candidates,” he said.

The ADC publicity secretary also disputed the APC chairman’s comments about the Tinubu administration’s performance in Northern Nigeria.

He questioned the claim that the alleged defectors were motivated by what the APC described as the administration’s development achievements in the region.

According to Abdullahi, the government should provide evidence of improvements in areas such as food prices, security and household finances rather than relying on political events and photographs.

The ADC also challenged the APC to identify the constituencies allegedly represented by the supposed defectors and provide details of the party positions they previously held.

“The APC should state the ADC offices these individuals supposedly held, the constituencies they represented as our candidates and when they held those positions,” the statement said.

The latest exchange comes amid increased political activity and realignment among political parties and groups ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The APC had earlier said the alleged defectors would return to their respective wards to mobilise support for the party and that their decision would be communicated to President Tinubu.