Rep Abdussamad Dasuki, member representing Tambuwal/Kebbe Federal Constituency in Sokoto state, formally joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday, receiving his party membership card at Dogon Daji/Salah Ward in Tambuwal Local Government Area. The event drew a large crowd, including hundreds of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members and others who defected to the ADC. Dasuki accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by Prof Joash Amupitan, of threatening Nigeria's multiparty democracy by refusing to recognize the David Mark-led faction of the ADC. He described the decision as part of a broader strategy to weaken opposition parties and pave the way for a one-party state dominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.
Dasuki warned that the current political trajectory undermines democratic gains and shrinks the space for opposition voices. He stated that the non-recognition of legitimate opposition leadership structures is not accidental but a deliberate move to ensure only one party remains politically viable. He called on citizens, civil society, and the international community to remain vigilant in defending democratic institutions. The lawmaker attributed his defection to a desire to work with patriots committed to addressing Nigeria's socio-economic and political challenges. He emphasized the ADC's commitment to youth inclusion in governance at all levels.
Youth groups from across the constituency and Sokoto state attended the event, citing rising insecurity and economic hardship as reasons for joining the ADC.
Abdussamad Dasuki's defection to the ADC is less about party loyalty and more about positioning within a fracturing opposition landscape, where INEC's recognition decisions carry outsized political weight. His sharp criticism of Prof Joash Amupitan's leadership at INEC centers on the refusal to recognize David Mark's faction—a decision that, in practice, determines which opposition groups survive or fade. This is not merely a dispute over internal party democracy but a fight over which opposition bloc gets official status, access to funding, and ballot space in 2027.
The real story lies in how regulatory actions by INEC are increasingly seen as politically consequential, especially when they align with the interests of the ruling APC. By sidelining certain factions while recognizing others, the commission shapes the competitive field before a single vote is cast. Dasuki's warning about a one-party state gains traction not from rhetoric but from the visible erosion of viable opposition platforms, many of which are either co-opted, divided, or denied recognition. His claim that this is a "calculated attempt" to silence dissent resonates in a context where opposition unity has repeatedly collapsed under legal and institutional pressures.
For ordinary Nigerians, especially young voters in Sokoto and other opposition strongholds, this means fewer authentic choices at the polls. If the ADC and other parties remain fragmented or unrecognized, voters are left choosing between APC variants rather than real alternatives. Economic hardship and insecurity, cited by youth groups at the event, become harder to challenge without functional opposition machinery.
This fits a broader pattern: the gradual institutionalization of political dominance through administrative means rather than electoral mandate. When party recognition becomes a tool of political engineering, democracy survives in form—but not in function.
