A few days after the African Democratic Congress (ADC) announced the resolutions of its leadership crisis in Kaduna State, one of its defeated governorship aspirants, Muhammad Bello, popularly known as Mainan Zazzau, has resigned from the party.

The resignation is a fresh setback for the opposition party, which had only recently celebrated the reconciliation of its rival factions under the leadership of its 2027 governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru, as part of efforts to strengthen its chances against the ruling APC.

A resignation letter seen by PREMIUM TIMES shows that Mr Bello formally quit the ADC on 21 July. The letter was addressed to the chairman of the party in Sabon Gari Ward and was duly received by the ward leadership.

Although Mr Bello did not state the reason for his decision, his exit comes just months after he contested for the party’s governorship ticket, which was won by Mr Ashiru.

| | |
|---|

A familiar political journey

Mr Bello is no stranger to political realignments in Kaduna.

A longtime ally of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, he later crossed over to support Governor Uba Sani and was appointed Commissioner for Education.

However, after serving for just over a year in the cabinet, he resigned from the administration.

He subsequently reunited with Mr El-Rufai’s political camp and joined the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections, where he sought but failed to secure the party’s governorship ticket.

Fresh questions over ADC’s stability

Mr Bello’s departure comes at a delicate moment for the Kaduna ADC.

Only this week, Mr Ashiru announced that rival factions within the party had buried their differences after months of infighting, describing the reconciliation as a turning point for the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

With one of its high-profile governorship aspirants now walking away, the resignation is likely to fuel fresh concerns over the party’s internal cohesion despite its recent peace deal.