Sokoto Political Tsunami: PDP Senatorial Candidate Maccido Defects to ADC After Withdrawal Fiasco

Ahmed Maccido, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Sokoto North Senatorial District, has officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). This move follows his withdrawal from the 2027 senatorial race on the PDP platform. Maccido was formally presented to the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, by former Sokoto State governor and ADC leader in the state, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, during a meeting held in Abuja. Tambuwal was accompanied by the ADC Deputy Director-General, Administration, Yusuf Suleiman, along with other party leaders and stakeholders from Sokoto State.

Maccido, a former senator representing Sokoto North, had previously notified the PDP of his decision to withdraw from the senatorial contest via a letter dated September 30. In his letter, he described his withdrawal as voluntary and asserted it was made without any external pressure, though he initially did not specify a reason for his departure or disclose his subsequent political intentions. His defection to the ADC is seen as part of ongoing political realignments in Sokoto State in anticipation of the 2027 general elections.

The Sokoto State chapter of the PDP, however, has questioned the circumstances surrounding Maccido's withdrawal. Hayattu Tafida, the PDP state chairman, expressed strong concerns about the timing of the decision, suggesting possible influence from other political parties. When asked about external pressure, Tafida stated, “Obviously, there is,” though he did not offer evidence to substantiate the claim. He acknowledged Maccido’s significant political influence and support base in both Sokoto North and Sokoto South, which made his sudden withdrawal particularly surprising to the party.

Tafida further criticized Maccido's timing, noting that the process of replacing a candidate is cumbersome and would have been more manageable if Maccido had resigned before the primaries. He said, “My only grouse with him is, why didn’t he resign before this time, before the primaries? The process of changing a candidate is cumbersome, so you should have done that earlier than now to give the people room to put another candidate in.” The PDP state leadership plans to deliberate on the withdrawal before escalating the matter to the national headquarters for further directives. Despite the defection, Tafida dismissed suggestions that Maccido’s move would lead to a wave of further defections from the PDP, indicating he did not expect other party candidates to follow suit.