Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) deepened on Sunday, May 24, 2026, as a senatorial aspirant, Ambassador Dr. Mubarak Ahmad Tijjani, rejected the outcome of the party’s disputed primary election, denied accusations that he orchestrated violence, and alleged that he was the victim of an assault. Tijjani, in a statement issued on Sunday, May 24, 2026, described reports linking him to thuggery as "falsehood, deception, and politics," insisting that he did not attack anyone and that he was instead hospitalized after being attacked by political opponents. The development came a day after Senator Ireti Kingibe, the incumbent senator representing the FCT, was declared winner of the primary with 17,535 votes against Tijjani’s 806 votes, a result the latter said was a "pre‑arranged sham" that did not reflect the will of party members.
Tijjani’s account of the events leading to the violence differs sharply from the narrative presented by Senator Kingibe and other party officials. According to Tijjani, the trouble began when members of the party’s Electoral Committee allegedly moved sensitive election materials to Senator Kingibe’s private constituency office in the Gudu area of Abuja, instead of distributing them to designated ward voting centers as planned. He claimed that thousands of delegates and supporters were left stranded at various locations without accreditation or election materials, leading to the collapse of a credible primary process. The aspirant alleged that he was invited to the office for what was described as a "meeting with aspirants," but upon arrival, he was denied the opportunity to speak and was instead attacked. “I did not come with thugs, and I did not attack anyone,” Tijjani said. He maintained that he was the victim of the assault and was later hospitalized due to injuries sustained during the incident. He revealed that medical reports from Cairo Hospital and CT scan results from Everight Diagnostics confirmed he suffered severe head injuries, body wounds, psychological trauma, and internal bleeding in the brain. According to him, the medical reports have already been submitted to the ADC national leadership and relevant security agencies.
Senator Ireti Kingibe, however, has presented a different version of events. In a statement posted on her Facebook page on Sunday, May 24, 2026, she alleged that a "premeditated ambush" occurred on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the ADC State Secretariat in Gudu, where she had gone to observe the transparent distribution of materials for the party’s National Assembly primary elections. Kingibe stated that the exercise initially proceeded peacefully until a man identified as Tijani Mubarak arrived accompanied by several men and disrupted proceedings. “The moment he introduced himself, the Chairman asked if he was the individual who had been calling earlier in the day. Instantly, Mubarak became aggressively rude,” she said. She alleged that the situation escalated when the election committee chairman refused to tolerate the behaviour, leading to a physical assault. “He violently slapped the Chairman of the Committee,” she stated. She further alleged that a female aspirant who attempted to record the incident was attacked and had her phone forcefully taken. “Infuriated by this, Mubarak ordered his thugs to seize her phone,” she said, adding that the woman was roughed up in the process. Kingibe also claimed that she was physically assaulted during the incident. “One of Mubarak’s men turned on me… grabbed me, and flung me violently against the wall, hitting my head with severe force,” she alleged. According to her, the attackers locked the office door and trapped occupants inside before fleeing with the key, preventing escape. “Realising he was losing control of the room, Mubarak ran to the exit door, locked it, and trapped us inside with himself and his armed thugs,” she said. Kingibe said supporters later forced entry into the building and helped rescue those inside after a violent scuffle outside the premises. She added that she was later treated in hospital after experiencing a severe headache and blurred vision, with doctors reportedly confirming head trauma. Following the incident, she said she reported the matter to the ADC national leadership and lodged a formal complaint at the Apo Police Station in Abuja.
The conflicting narratives have left the party in a state of paralysis, with two camps now trading accusations of violence and fraud. Tijjani has urged party members and the public to focus on unanswered questions surrounding the incident, including why election materials were taken to a private office, why delegates were abandoned at polling centers, and why there is no evidence proving he attacked anyone. He called on the Inspector‑General of Police and the FCT Police Commissioner to order a thorough investigation into the violence, warning that political thuggery must not be allowed to replace democracy. He also rejected the official result of the primary, maintaining that the exercise was not free, fair, or credible.
The ADC FCT senatorial primary, which was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has become the latest flashpoint in the party’s internal crisis. The Federal High Court in Abuja had, on Friday, May 22, struck out a suit seeking to prohibit Senator Kingibe from participating in the primary over her alleged suspension by the Wuse Ward Executive, a ruling that cleared the way for her candidacy. Tijjani, however, has argued that the primary was fundamentally flawed and has vowed to pursue justice through the party’s internal mechanisms and the courts.
As the 2027 general elections approach, the ADC’s ability to present a unified front in the FCT remains in serious doubt. With both Senator Kingibe and Dr. Mubarak Ahmad Tijjani claiming victory and exchanging accusations of violence, the party faces the prospect of a protracted legal battle that could leave it fractured and weakened. The police have confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, and the Inspector‑General of Police has promised to ensure that those responsible for the violence are identified and prosecuted. For the people of the Federal Capital Territory, the fight for the ADC’s senatorial ticket has become a fight for the soul of the party itself.
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