Political parties are built to win elections just as coalitions are built to win trust.
In Jigawa State, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) may have succeeded in producing a governorship candidate, but it now faces a more difficult challenge: preserving the coalition that transformed it from a fringe platform into a serious political force.
The controversy surrounding the party’s governorship primary is no longer simply about who won and who lost.
It has evolved into a test of whether the diverse political interests that came together under the ADC banner still believe they have a place within the project they helped create.
That distinction matters.
Political parties survive contentious primaries all the time. Winners emerge, losers complain, and eventually the party moves forward.
What makes the ADC situation different is that the crisis appears to be striking at the coalition’s foundation rather than merely its surface.
The party’s rapid rise in Jigawa did not happen because of one politician or one political bloc.
It happened because multiple political actors, many of whom came from different backgrounds and ambitions, agreed to invest in a common platform.
The coalition succeeded because participants believed they were building something collectively owned.
Today, that sense of collective ownership appears increasingly under strain.
The prolonged and controversial governorship primary exposed tensions that had existed beneath the surface.
Allegations of irregularities, disputes over results and complaints about the conduct of the exercise created immediate controversy.
But the more enduring damage came from the perception that emerged afterwards.
Among some party stakeholders, a belief took hold that influence within the coalition was no longer being determined by years of investment, sacrifice and organisational work.
Whether that perception is fair or not is almost beside the point.
In politics, perceptions often become realities.
Once party members begin to feel excluded from decision-making, they start questioning not just individual outcomes but the entire political arrangement.
That is precisely why the reaction of some key stakeholders has attracted attention.
The frustration expressed by former House of Representatives member Bashir Adamu Jumbo resonated because many interpreted it as reflecting a broader anxiety within sections of the coalition.
His complaint was not merely about losing a primary.
It was about what he perceived as a changing balance of power within the party.
His now-famous metaphor about building a house only to be displaced from it captured a sentiment that extends beyond a single contest.
It raised a deeper question: Who truly owns the ADC project in Jigawa?
That question is becoming increasingly important because coalitions depend on inclusion.
Unlike traditional parties built around established structures, coalitions survive by convincing different groups that they have a stake in the enterprise.
The moment significant stakeholders begin to feel alienated, the coalition’s greatest strength can quickly become its greatest vulnerability.
Recent political movements suggest that risk is no longer theoretical.
The departure of influential figures and the gradual drift of supporters toward alternative platforms indicate that some actors are already reassessing their political future.
More importantly, they are taking networks with them.
In Nigerian politics, structures are everything.
A politician’s value is not measured solely by popularity but by the number of loyal supporters, organisers, community leaders and local influencers capable of mobilising votes.
When those structures begin to migrate, the consequences extend far beyond headlines.
The immediate beneficiary appears to be the PDP.
Every dissatisfied stakeholder creates opportunities for rival parties to expand their reach.
Every internal disagreement weakens ADC’s ability to present itself as a united alternative.
But perhaps the greatest challenge facing ADC is neither defections nor public criticism.
It is restoring confidence.
The party emerged as a vehicle for change, attracting supporters who believed it offered a different political culture from the dominant parties.
That promise helped fuel its growth.
Any perception that the party is reproducing the same internal practices it once criticised risks undermining its core appeal.
The real test facing ADC is therefore not whether it can defend the outcome of its primary.
It is whether it can convince its own stakeholders that they remain valued participants in the coalition.
Because elections are won by candidates.
Political movements are sustained by believers.
And if enough members stop believing in the project, victory in a primary may ultimately prove less significant than the divisions left behind.
For ADC in Jigawa, the challenge is no longer selecting a governorship candidate.
It is preserving the coalition that made the selection matter in the first place.