Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Senator representing Kebbi South, Garba Musa Maidoki, has formally defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing unresolved internal disputes, alleged injustice, and a lingering crisis arising from the party’s recently concluded primaries in Kebbi State. His decision, announced in a letter read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, adds to a growing wave of defections from the ruling party to the ADC as discontent over internal party processes intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Maidoki, who chairs the Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance and serves as Vice‑Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, was among the aspirants reportedly screened out of the APC primaries in Kebbi State. In his defection letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during plenary by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Maidoki stated that his decision was informed by “lingering internal crisis” within the APC. “I am writing to inform Your Excellency, the President of the Senate, and my distinguished colleagues of my defection from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the African Democratic Congress, ADC,” the letter read. “My decision is based on the lingering internal crisis of the APC that has made my political inspiration a source of concern.”
Maidoki accused the APC of failing to live up to its core principles, particularly during the primary elections in Kebbi State. “The All Progressives Congress, APC, has not exhibited its slogan of justice, peace, and unity, especially in Kebbi State during the just concluded primary elections,” he said. He expressed confidence that the ADC offers a better platform to advance the interests of his constituents and the nation. “I believe that the ideas of the ADC are better for the benefit of my senatorial district and Nigeria at large,” he stated.
However, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary, appealed to Maidoki to reconsider his decision, arguing that the issues within the Kebbi APC were not fundamental and could be resolved through reconciliation. “I wish to intervene and plead with the distinguished senator to rescind his decision. There is no internal problem in the APC in Kebbi State. This is more of a family dispute and we can reconcile,” Barau said. “Let me ask that you allow me to intervene to reconcile you and I know there is no problem, there is no internal problem in the APC in Kebbi state.” Maidoki, however, rejected the intervention, insisting that he had already made up his mind to leave the ruling party.
Maidoki’s defection is the latest in a string of exits from the APC to the ADC, with discontent over party primaries and internal disputes pushing lawmakers toward the opposition. The ADC has increasingly positioned itself as an alternative for politicians aggrieved by the ruling party’s internal processes ahead of the 2027 general elections. Maidoki’s exit is likely to deepen those divisions and significantly alter the political calculus in Kebbi South.
It would be recalled that Maidoki had earlier resigned his membership of the APC in May 2026 ahead of the party’s senatorial primary election. In a letter dated May 14, 2026, addressed to the APC Ward Chairman of Rafin Zuru Ward in Zuru Local Government Area of Kebbi State, he attributed his resignation to “lingering internal crisis” within the party.
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