By Charles Chijioke
Senator Garba Maidoki, representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, has resigned from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing alleged injustice, broken promises and lack of internal democracy within the party.
Maidoki’s resignation letter was read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.
The lawmaker, who was first elected to the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), joined the APC in May 2025 alongside Senators Adamu Aliero and Yahaya Abdullahi following a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Afrilensnews reports that his defection comes weeks after he was barred from participating in the APC senatorial primary election and denied the party’s ticket for a second term. He was among three serving senators disqualified from the exercise, alongside Benson Agadaga of Bayelsa East and Banigo Ipalibo of Rivers West.
Speaking to journalists immediately after the plenary, he enumerated circumstances that led to his departure, Maidoki said he and others joined the APC in good faith after being assured that their people would benefit from the dividends of democracy and receive fair treatment within the party.
“We were invited to join the APC in good faith because we want the dividend of democracy to reach our people. We don’t want to be divided among different political parties,” he said.
The senator alleged that while he was in the PDP, several constituency projects approved for his district were frustrated.
“I got N1.2 billion to renovate a general hospital in my locality.
The state government denied me that opportunity and that money is gone. Half of the money, about N600 million, was for provision of drugs and medical equipment. Unfortunately, I was denied that opportunity,” he stated.
Maidoki also claimed that plans to construct a modern veterinary clinic in Zuru for farmers in his constituency were blocked despite funding being secured for the project.
According to him, President Tinubu had assured the defecting senators that they would be treated fairly, retain their political relevance and receive opportunities to nominate supporters into government positions.
“The President assured us that we will be treated with respect. He assured us that every person who came into the party would be given back his ticket and that our people would be included in government. None of these promises was fulfilled,” he said.
The lawmaker expressed disappointment that while two other Kebbi senators secured automatic tickets, he was denied the same privilege.
“We are three senators in Kebbi. Two of them were given automatic tickets. It’s only me that was refused an automatic ticket. And what is my crime? I came to the National Assembly and cried that my people are not safe and that we need help,” he said.
Maidoki argued that his advocacy on insecurity in Kebbi South may have contributed to his fallout with influential figures in the state.
He further accused the APC of operating without internal democracy, alleging that governors wield excessive control over party structures and candidate selection processes.
“Having found out that there is no justice in the APC, there is no democracy in the APC, the governors own the party and decide who becomes a nominee,” he declared.
The senator also lamented what he described as the longstanding political marginalisation of Kebbi South, insisting that the district has never been allowed to produce a governor despite its electoral importance in the state.
“Since the creation of Kebbi State, nobody from Kebbi South has been given the opportunity to become governor. Anybody who emerges as a rallying point for our people is always targeted and prevented from rising politically,” he alleged.
Despite concerns over the legal implications of his latest defection, Maidoki insisted he enjoys overwhelming support from his constituents.
“We have 120,000 registered voters and we told everybody to stay at home. Only about 4,000 people voted in the by-election. Our people listened to us and they are with us. We are with our people, no shaking,” he said.
His move to the ADC is expected to reshape political calculations in Kebbi South ahead of the 2027 general election and could further deepen discussions about internal democracy, defections and power struggles within Nigeria’s major political parties.
