The National Treasurer of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr. Ibrahim Mani, has spoken on the internal strength of the party and the political influence of recent defectors, while also drawing comparisons with the 2023 general elections.
Dr. Mani made the remarks during an interview from 5:14 on Trust TV News on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, while responding to questions on party structure, followership, and electoral trends.
He noted that the party still retains significant political figures despite recent movements, stating, “But mind you, there are still lots of heavyweights who are still within the ranks of the African Democratic Congress. But just two people left. Apart from Peter and Kwankwaso, who else left?”
When asked about the presumed large followership of the departing politicians, he responded, “All the other people have large followership, but maybe not a kind of a cult followership in that context that they are exhibiting.”
He further differentiated between the nature of political support bases, stating, “We can say, yes, a cult followership for Kwankwaso. Of course, you cannot deny that, particularly within his strong base, Kano state, and particularly the local politics in Kano, not necessarily the states per se.”
Speaking on Peter Obi’s political influence, Dr. Mani said, “And for Peter, it’s true, he has a large followership, but mainly on social media, I can assure you.”
When asked about the 2023 general elections and vote distribution, he acknowledged the political significance of that election but noted differences in the current political environment. He stated, “Yes, but if you look at the politics of 2023, it’s a bit different from what we are having today. In 2023, the divide was purely a bit of a religious kind of divide. The religious factor played in.”
He further commented on campaign positioning during that period, saying, “Peter has campaigned on the basis of presenting himself more like a Christian candidate. But he has gone to places where he made those statements and said that he is trying to recover the country.”…Read_More…