Former Kwara ADC spokesperson Abubakar Basambo defects to APC, pledging support for Governor AbdulRazaq and governorship candidate Yakubu Danladi-Salihu

Former Kwara State Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Abubakar Kabir Basambo, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring support for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the party’s governorship candidate, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.

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Basambo, a former Labour Party governorship candidate in the 2023 general election, announced his decision in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Sunday in Ilorin.

He said the defection followed a meeting with Danladi-Salihu, who is also the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly.

Explaining his decision, Basambo praised AbdulRazaq’s leadership and described the governor’s decision to support a governorship candidate from Kwara North as a significant political gesture.

“Governor AbdulRazaq is a man who keeps his promise. His singular act of taking the governorship ticket to Kwara North is enough for me. His resounding success in healthcare, education, roads and other sectors is top-notch,” he said.

Basambo said he joined the ruling party to contribute to the state’s development and pledged his loyalty to both the governor and the APC governorship candidate.

“I hereby declare my unflinching support and total loyalty to the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and to Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi,” he stated.

His defection follows a public dispute with the Kwara ADC leadership over his departure from the party and the circumstances surrounding his resignation as state publicity secretary.

Basambo had submitted his resignation in a letter dated October 23, 2026, addressed to the state chairman through the chairman of his Magaji Are 1 Ward and the Ilorin East Local Government Area chapter.

In the letter titled, “Letter of Resignation from ADC”, he accused some party leaders and members of the state executive committee of hypocrisy, dishonesty and double standards.

He said he could no longer identify with the direction of the party in the state, adding that his decision followed deep reflection.

“There is so much hypocrisy, lies, and double standards amongst some party leaders and State Excos who parade themselves as loyal leaders,” he wrote.

However, the ADC state secretary, Ibrahim Alege, offered a different account, alleging that Basambo resigned to avoid disciplinary proceedings initiated by the party leadership and its Council of Elders.

Alege said concerns had been raised about Basambo’s conduct and commitment to the party’s ideals, prompting the leadership to begin internal disciplinary procedures.

According to him, Basambo chose to resign rather than allow the process to continue.

Basambo rejected the allegation, insisting that he resigned voluntarily and was never formally notified of any allegations or given an opportunity to defend himself.

“Let me state it unequivocally: I resigned voluntarily and on principle. I did not resign to evade any process. No formal allegation was ever served on me in writing, and I was never given a fair hearing to respond,” he said.

He also questioned the composition of the proposed disciplinary panel, alleging that some members expected to sit on it were among those whose conduct he had previously challenged.

“You cannot be a judge in your own case. I cannot face a panel populated by the very persons whose anti-party activities and impunity I challenged,” he added.

The former ADC spokesman further criticised the party’s organisational structure in Kwara, describing it as “structurally comatose”.

He alleged that the party lacked visible grassroots engagement, pointing to what he described as the absence of billboards, sponsored radio programmes and adequate operational facilities.

Basambo also accused members of the Council of Elders of exercising excessive control over the party’s affairs, sidelining the state executive and engaging in political negotiations with other parties without sufficient accountability.

He claimed that the party’s state secretariat was uninhabitable and alleged that a winner of the ADC House of Assembly primary in Oyun Local Government Area had been removed and replaced by some party leaders.

He did not provide further details to substantiate the allegation.

Basambo had also criticised the ADC governorship candidate, Zakari Mohammed, alleging that his conduct contributed to his decision to leave the party.

Despite his criticisms of the state leadership, he expressed appreciation for his political leader, Abubakar Kannike, whom he described as a person of honour and sincerity.

The ADC, meanwhile, maintained that Basambo’s departure was a personal decision and did not reflect any weakness within its ranks.

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The party said it remained committed to building what it described as a credible political alternative in Kwara State and across Nigeria, based on transparency, competence and service.