A fresh leadership crisis has hit the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) trading words over the legitimacy of its newly inaugurated executives.
The crisis followed the resignation of former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) on July 1, after the ADC adopted an opposition coalition platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
At the party’s 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on July 29, former Senate President David Mark was inaugurated as National Chairman, while ex-Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola was appointed National Secretary. Nwosu officially handed over to Mark in the presence of invited INEC officials.
However, controversy erupted as not all party members accepted the transition. Nafiu Bala, the ADC’s 2023 Gombe governorship candidate, rejected the takeover, calling it an “unprecedented assault on democracy” and subsequently declaring himself interim National Chairman.
Meanwhile, as of Saturday, INEC’s website still listed Nwosu as National Chairman and other former officers in their positions.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education, Victoria Eta-Messi, explained that the ADC had yet to meet the conditions required for recognition of its new leadership, including providing sample signatures of the interim Chairman and Secretary.
But the ADC insists that due process was followed. Party officials, including Sadiq Yar’adua, accused INEC of compromise and political bias, pointing to the commission’s alleged silence over premature campaign activities by the APC.
Despite the clash, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, assured that the matter had been resolved and that INEC’s official recognition was only a matter of time.
Sources within the party disclosed that errors in documentation slowed down the process, as the initial NEC report was signed only by former leaders instead of being co-signed by both old and new executives. Corrections have since been made, but delays persist.
The unfolding drama leaves uncertainty hanging over the ADC’s leadership structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
