Mahdi Aliyu Mohammed, the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Zamfara State, has alleged that party members altered documents in an attempt to substitute another aspirant for him ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Dispute over ADC governorship nomination
In a statement issued on Monday, Mohammed said the ADC forwarded Bilyamu Shinkafi’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, rather than his own. He maintains that he won the party’s governorship primary in Zamfara on May 22, 2026.
- Mohammed said he contested in the primary election and emerged as its winner.
- He said he completed INEC Form EC9 after the contest and returned the document to the party for onward filing with the electoral commission.
- He alleged that, despite these steps, the party submitted Shinkafi as its governorship candidate to INEC.
Court action and allegations of fabricated records
The alleged filing of Shinkafi’s name led Mohammed to seek legal redress through the courts.
He further claimed that certain people within the ADC were preparing documents with earlier dates to support Shinkafi’s nomination. These materials allegedly include letters stating that Shinkafi took part in the party primary.
- Mohammed said the party primary report he obtained from INEC and presented in court conflicts with the documents allegedly being prepared.
- He argued that the official election report does not support claims that Shinkafi participated in the primary process.
Warning of regulatory and disciplinary complaints
Mohammed said any person found to have forged documents or filed false records would be reported for investigation.
He said complaints would be made to the relevant security agencies, INEC and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, with possible disciplinary measures to follow if wrongdoing is established.
