‎BY AHMED AKANBI

‎A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has suspended his membership of the party and the opposition coalition over alleged hostility from former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

‎Lukman announced his decision on Thursday in a letter addressed to the ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and copied to other coalition leaders.

‎He attributed his exit to what he described as persistent hostile treatment by El-Rufai and his associates regarding the leadership and direction of the coalition in Kaduna State.

‎“This may come to you as a disappointment. I am very sorry. I just can’t continue to bear the painful hostile treatment I keep getting from some leaders from Kaduna, especially Mallam Nasir,” he wrote.

‎The former All Progressives Congress, APC member alleged that decisions on the coalition’s leadership in Kaduna were manipulated to sideline him. He said he had been reduced “to the status of a bastard” within a coalition he helped to build.

‎Lukman said he spent over a year working to reconcile and unite opposition leaders in Kaduna, claiming that instead, he became the target of what he described as an orchestrated campaign by El-Rufai and his supporters.

‎“For Mallam Nasir and his people, I am the problem. I have decided to resolve the problem for them and everyone,” he stated.

‎He said it was better “to be inactive than to continue to chase dashed expectations,” hence his decision to suspend both his ADC and coalition memberships.

‎Lukman also questioned the coalition’s commitment to democratic values, accusing some leaders of replicating the same political practices they once criticised.

‎He further alleged that former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, was engaging individuals in Kaduna whose commitment to building the ADC was questionable, while ignoring those who invested in strengthening the party’s structures.

‎According to him, the developments have eroded his confidence in the coalition and reduced the ADC to “a marginal participant” in preparations for the 2027 general elections.

‎He, however, thanked Senator David Mark and other national leaders, clarifying that his decision was not a protest against the party’s national leadership, but against the treatment he received from El-Rufai and some coalition leaders in Kaduna.