Binani’s media aide, Maulud Usman, confirmed the incident and said the former senator arrived in Yola and quietly declared her switch to the ADC in the company of close allies and associates.

“It wasn’t planned as an elaborate event, and there was no media invite, but the declaration has been made,” Usman said, noting that a more formal event to announce her new political affiliation is being planned.

Binani, who represented Adamawa Central in the Senate between 2019 and 2023, made history in 2022 by defeating five male aspirants to clinch the APC governorship ticket.

She lost narrowly to incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 election.

Her defection comes just days after PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was also reported to have formally joined the ADC.