The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is facing fresh internal turbulence as Nafi’u Bala, the party’s former governorship candidate in Gombe State and ex-national deputy chairman, has unilaterally declared himself interim national chairman.
At a press conference held late Wednesday in Abuja, Bala strongly criticized the faction of the party led by former Senate President David Mark, accusing it of breaching the ADC’s constitution and seizing control through illegitimate means.
“We wish to draw the attention of all members of our great party and Nigerians at large, to the ongoing acts of political hooliganism being perpetrated by some individuals who were hitherto entrusted with the leadership of the party,” Bala stated, as reported by Vanguard.
He went on to claim that the party’s internal framework had been handed over to figures lacking real ties to the ADC, a move he said poses a threat to internal democracy and the party’s ideological integrity.
Bala’s statement was a direct rebuttal to the restructuring announced on July 2 by Ralph Nwosu, the ADC’s founder and former national chairman, who had disbanded the National Working Committee (NWC) and backed an interim leadership under David Mark. This reorganization is part of a broader political coalition that includes notable opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Uche Secondus, Aminu Tambuwal, Peter Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai, positioning the ADC as their joint platform for the 2027 elections.
Bala denounced the move as a “shameful political takeover orchestrated by outsiders” and described it as “political melodrama,” calling it a betrayal of the party’s values.
“In the history of democracy all over the world, no party leader or group of leaders has the power to arbitrarily transfer elected mandates or political authority to non-members,” he asserted, arguing that legitimate party leadership must stem from due electoral processes.
Claiming constitutional backing for his new position, Bala declared that his assumption of the interim chairmanship aligns with the ADC’s internal rules.
“I call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently recognise me as the legitimate chairman of the African Democratic Congress,” he appealed.
He also issued a warning to the Mark-led group, stating that unless they reverse course and comply with the party’s foundational statutes, he would initiate legal proceedings to restore what he termed “a lawful, transparent, and people-driven leadership.”
This latest leadership clash adds to the uncertainty surrounding the ADC at a time when it aims to position itself as a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
