by Nkwede Chibuike
A fresh crisis has erupted within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), further deepening the leadership tussle threatening the opposition party’s stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a dramatic twist, a breakaway bloc of state chairmen on Tuesday announced that it had assumed interim leadership of the party, following the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognize either the David Mark-led leadership or the faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.
The 25 state chairmen, who rejected both camps, said their intervention was aimed at rescuing the party from what they described as imminent institutional collapse. Acting under the authority of the National Executive Committee (NEC), they unveiled a 20-member interim leadership to steer the affairs of the party for the next two to three weeks pending a national convention.
Kogi State Chairman, Kingsley Temitope Ogah, was named interim chairman, while Edo State Chairman, Kennedy Odion, emerged as secretary.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the chairmen maintained that their action was in line with the ADC constitution and necessary to preserve the party’s ability to participate in future elections.
“Our focus is to stabilize the party, restore due process and prepare it for future elections,” the group said.
However, the move was swiftly rejected by the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC). Speaking on a national television programe, the camp’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the announcement as an attempt by internal saboteurs to weaken the party.
He described the action as a deliberate plot by “fifth columnists” and insisted that the suspended NWC remained committed to ensuring that the ADC fields candidates in the 2027 elections.
Abdullahi further alleged that the crisis was being fuelled by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in a bid to frustrate the opposition and force it out of the electoral process.
“We still have confidence in the judiciary and we are confident that justice will be done,” he said.
He added that the party had gone back to court to challenge INEC’s decision, insisting that the commission lacked the constitutional authority to withdraw recognition from the leadership.
“We will contest the 2027 election on the ADC platform. Our convention will go on as planned,” he declared.
The party’s convention is scheduled for April 14.
Last week, INEC withdrew recognition from the interim leadership headed by Senator David Mark and National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola following a Court of Appeal judgment, a development that has since intensified the internal power struggle.
At the climax of the dispute is the interpretation of the ADC constitution.
Article 12, Section 14 recognizes all state chairmen and the FCT chairman as members of the NEC, while Article 13 empowers the NEC to manage the affairs of the party and implement decisions of the national convention.
However, the constitution does not expressly state whether state chairmen or NEC members can automatically assume control in the event of a leadership vacuum, leaving room for conflicting interpretations.
Speaking on behalf of the NEC bloc, Abia State Chairman Don Norman Obinna said the group was acting as the only constitutionally recognized authority within the party.
“We are not here as a faction. We are here as elected NEC members of the party,” he said.
He distanced the party from both the David Mark-led coalition and Nafiu Gombe’s claims to leadership, insisting that neither camp had legitimate authority.
“We disassociate the ADC from all actions taken by those who attempted to hijack our party,” Obinna stated.
He as well supported INEC’s position, commending the electoral body for what he described as a courageous decision.
According to him, the leadership crisis dates back to August 2022, when the tenure of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu allegedly expired, leading to a series of legal disputes and court rulings.
“The vacuum created by the leadership crisis left the NEC as the only authority to speak on behalf of the party,” he said.
Obinna warned that failure to act decisively could prevent the ADC from fielding candidates in future elections and potentially expose the party to deregistration.
“If we do not take action now, we risk losing our relevance as a political platform,” he said.
Interim Chairman Kingsley Ogah also accused the NWC of constitutional breaches, particularly its alleged failure to convene statutory NEC meetings.
“Since the emergence of the current NWC, no NEC meeting has been held. That raises serious questions about the legitimacy of recent actions, including the congresses currently being conducted,” he said.
He argued that the congresses were invalid because existing executives had not been properly dissolved before the commencement of fresh processes.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Yusuf Yabagi Sani, weighed in on the unfolding crisis, warning that the ADC may find it difficult to defeat an incumbent president.
According to him, political noise alone does not translate into electoral victory.
He said the realities of incumbency and structural imbalance within the political system continue to favour President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
As the internal crisis deepens, attention now shifts to the courts, INEC and the planned national convention, all of which are expected to determine the future direction of the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections.