Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, widely known as Binani and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Adamawa State for the 2023 elections, has officially joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Her defection was confirmed on Sunday, July 20, by her media aide, Maulud Usman, who revealed that Binani arrived quietly in Yola on the evening of Saturday, July 19, and made her switch to the ADC known in the presence of a few close allies. According to Usman, the announcement was low-key with no media coverage, but a larger, formal event is being planned to publicly unveil her political plans under her new party.
Binani, who served as the senator representing Adamawa Central from 2019 to 2023, made national headlines in 2022 when she defeated five male aspirants to clinch the APC governorship ticket — the first woman to do so within the party. She later ran in the 2023 election but narrowly lost to the PDP incumbent, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.
Her move to the ADC follows unconfirmed reports that former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has also joined the ADC. Political insiders suggest that both figures will return to Yola next month for a high-profile political event where their alignment within the ADC will be officially presented.