THE crisis within the Adamawa State chapter of the African Democratic Congress has deepened as strong allies of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar continue to exit the party over internal disputes.
News Point Nigeria reports that a prominent ADC chieftain in the state, Umar Jada popularly known as Calculator has resigned as the party’s Assistant National Publicity Secretary and North-East Publicity Secretary.
In a resignation letter dated December 1, 2025, and made available to journalists in Yola on Tuesday, Jada said his decision was driven by personal considerations.
“I took the painful decision in order to refocus my attention on other critical life commitments,” he said.
“I write to formally tender my resignation as the Assistant National Publicity Secretary and Zonal Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, effective immediately.
“The decision is based purely on personal grounds after careful reflection on my current commitments, responsibilities and the direction I must now take at this stage of my life. Stepping down is a difficult but necessary choice to allow myself attend to pressing personal matters that require my full attention.
“I remain deeply grateful for the trust and support extended to me throughout my period of service. It has been an honour to contribute to the growth, visibility and strengthening of our great party. I cherish the experiences, the teamwork and the ideals we collectively uphold in our pursuit of a better and more democratic Nigeria.
“Please be assured of my continued respect for the party’s leadership and my unwavering goodwill towards the ADC. I remain committed to supporting the party’s values and aspirations in whatever way my circumstances may allow in the future.”
Investigations by The PUNCH revealed that Jada’s resignation may be connected to tensions in Abuja, where Atiku’s allies—including the state chairman, Shehu Yohanna—were reportedly prevented from attending Monday’s National Working Committee meeting.
Supporters of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, were alleged to have blocked Atiku’s camp from participating in the meeting.
Atiku had formally registered as a member of the ADC last week in his hometown of Jada.
However, the party’s North-East Vice Chairman and influential figure, Babachir Lawal, was conspicuously absent from the event.
Speaking exclusively to this newspaper from his Abuja residence last Monday, Lawal said Atiku altered the event schedule at the last minute.
“Poor planning by the former vice president is responsible for me not attending the ceremony. We agreed on Sunday for the event and I arrived Yola for it, only for Atiku to shift the event to Monday,” he said.
“I have my personal things to handle; I have schedules for my activities. You cannot just change the gear while the car is in motion and expect me to be part of such a programme.
“I told Atiku Abubakar that my absence at the ceremony would give different interpretations to many people regarding our new party, but he gave a deaf ear to my advice. Let them go ahead and do their things with his people.”
With the latest developments, the Babachir Lawal faction, led by Sadiq Dasin, has reportedly taken control of party activities in the state, sidelining Atiku’s group led by Yohanna.