The Borno State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has disowned the purported Transitional and Registration Committees allegedly set up by a group led by Kashim Imam Matawalle, warning that the party will pursue legal action against anyone attempting to hijack its structure in the state.
Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri on Tuesday, the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Umara Bolori, described the committees as illegitimate and accused what he termed “political jobbers” of trying to infiltrate the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Bolori alleged that Kashim Imam Matawalle and his associates were seeking to impose themselves on the party without any grassroots support, branding them “Abuja-based political tourists” with no political base in Borno State.
According to him, the ADC in Borno is intensifying preparations for the 2027 polls and positioning itself to challenge the long-standing dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. He added that the party has continued to receive defectors from other opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
While explaining the circumstances surrounding the controversy, Bolori said legitimate consultations were ongoing to inaugurate party committees when the disputed meeting occurred.
“While I and other stakeholders were making wider consultations before the inauguration of committees to steer the party in the state, some purported party members led by Kashim Imam Matawalle engaged political thugs and forcefully entered the meeting venue, breached security order and caused injuries to loyal party members and security personnel,” he said.
He stressed that the state working committee had dissociated itself from all actions taken during the meeting, insisting that the recognised leadership of the party in Borno was not involved.
“Appropriate steps will be taken to remedy the situation. Relevant security agencies, including the police and the DSS, have been informed to prevent a recurrence of such illegal activities,” Bolori added.
The ADC chairman urged party members to remain calm and law-abiding, noting that efforts were underway to resolve the crisis. He also called on the national leadership of the party to intervene urgently in Borno State and rein in Kashim Imam Matawalle and his associates to avert what he described as potential mass rejection by the people of the state.
“These characters who are desperately working to emerge as transition and registration committees in the state have already lost the goodwill and trust of the Borno people,” he said.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Assistant National Organising Secretary and North-East Organising Secretary of the ADC, Mohammed Abba Kyari, said the press conference was convened to alert party supporters and the people of Borno State to what he described as an underground plot by “transactional and transitional politicians” within the party.
“They are battling to hijack the soul and structure of our party in their desperate quest for personal relevance and political survival ahead of the 2027 general election,” Kyari said.
He accused the group of habitually using opposition parties as platforms for personal gain, adding that they were Abuja-based politicians unknown in their constituencies.
“These political merchants are political tourists, migrating from party to party. Their ideology changes every election cycle. Their loyalty is like kerosene — it evaporates the moment heat is applied,” Kyari added.
