By Samuel Adeola
Chairmanship aspirant for Kwali Area Council in the FCT, Alhaji Usman Jiya, has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC), to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with thousands of his supporters ahead of the February 21, 2026 council polls.
Addressing a large crowd in Kwali on Saturday, Jiya said the decision followed a resolution by key APC stakeholders and ward executives across the council’s ten wards.
He faulted the APC primary that produced incumbent council speaker, Nuhu Daniel Kwali, describing it as a “charade.”
He explained that with the APC national secretariat’s endorsement of Nuhu Daniel as the party’s candidate, he and his supporters had chosen to join the ADC, under which he will now contest the election.
“It is on this premise that I want to make it clear today, being Saturday, August 9, 2025, that I, Hon. Usman Jiya, and my supporters across the ten wards of Kwali Area Council, have formally resigned from the APC.
“I am now the candidate of the ADC for the February 21, 2026, chairmanship election in Kwali Area Council,” he declared.
Jiya urged his followers to remain peaceful and engaged in the political process, expressing confidence in ADC’s chances at the polls.
He added that plans were underway to mobilize supporters for the upcoming INEC voter registration exercise.
