The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused powerful figures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into recognising Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe, an expelled member of the party, as the National Chairman of the ADC.
The party said the move forms part of a broader and carefully orchestrated plan by elements within the ruling establishment to weaken opposition parties and ultimately clear the political field for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emerge as the only serious contender in the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the alleged plot as a calculated attempt to manufacture confusion within the party and destabilise what it called the most credible and viable opposition platform currently available to Nigerians.
The party maintained that there is no ambiguity whatsoever regarding its leadership, which remains firmly under Senator David Mark following the combined meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) witnessed by officials of INEC in July 2025.
The statement read in part:
The African Democratic Congress has uncovered a desperate and sinister plot allegedly being orchestrated by powerful figures within the ruling All Progressives Congress to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission into recognising a certain Nafiu Bala Gombe as the National Chairman of the ADC.
This brazen attempt to undermine and destabilise the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections is reportedly being driven by an APC governor in collaboration with a senior security official based in Abuja, as part of a wider scheme to impose President Tinubu on Nigerians as the sole viable presidential contender in the next election.
At the centre of this scheme is Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe, an expelled member of the ADC who has recently been parading himself as a leader of the party while openly collaborating with external political interests. Mr. Gombe, who once claimed to be Deputy National Chairman under the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, was duly expelled from the ADC after engaging in actions that violated the party’s constitution, its principles, and the collective decisions of its leadership.
It is therefore shocking, though not entirely surprising, that elements within the ruling establishment are now attempting to use him as a willing instrument to destabilise and illegally take over the leadership of the party.
The objective of this scheme is clear: to manufacture confusion within the ADC, sponsor illegitimate leadership claims, and ultimately cripple the only credible opposition platform that Nigerians are increasingly looking to as a genuine alternative. The ultimate goal is to deny Nigerians a real choice in the next general election despite the widespread hardship and suffering that the policies of the ruling party have imposed on the people.
For the avoidance of doubt, a properly constituted combined meeting of the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee of the party, witnessed by officials of INEC, formally transferred the leadership of the ADC to the coalition led by Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in July 2025. INEC subsequently acknowledged this development with formal recognition of the David Mark leadership in September 2025.
Furthermore, on March 6, 2026, a Federal High Court dismissed a suit challenging Senator Mark’s leadership of the party, reaffirming the well-established Supreme Court principle that issues relating to party leadership are internal affairs of political parties.
We therefore find it deeply troubling that anti-democratic forces are still attempting to impose expelled individuals on the party or manipulate its internal structures through external political pressure on electoral institutions and other state actors.
Nigeria’s democracy cannot thrive where the ruling party seeks to capture, infiltrate, or manufacture opposition parties for its own political convenience. Such actions represent a dangerous assault on democratic pluralism and the constitutional right of Nigerians to freely organise and support credible political alternatives.
We therefore call on the general public, party members, and democratic institutions to disregard the activities and claims of Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe and those backing his illegitimate adventure.
The ADC remains united, focused, and committed to building a strong democratic alternative for Nigerians. No amount of intimidation, infiltration, or political engineering will derail this mission.
