A fresh crisis has emerged within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 elections. A faction loyal to the factional National Chairman, Nafiu Bala, has warned prominent opposition figures against attempting to take control of the party. The warning was issued by the ADC Board of Trustees (BoT), which expressed confidence in Bala’s leadership and described a rival coalition led by David Mark as an illegal structure.
The BoT Secretary, Chief Rufus Ekenmi, condemned the attempts by individuals, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, to hijack the party. Ekenmi stated that these individuals, who he described as having a “high propensity for impatience,” were not registered members of the party and therefore had no right to party privileges.
The Bala faction has mandated the activation of a disciplinary committee to sanction any ADC member found interacting with the listed leaders. Bala vowed to uphold the party’s constitution and promised to be fair and objective in his leadership. He accused members of the rival coalition of breaching the ADC constitution by operating from a parallel headquarters and circumventing the rules governing party operations.
The crisis deepened after the Mark-led faction inaugurated a new ADC national secretariat in Abuja, which was previously used as Atiku’s presidential campaign office. The National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed suggestions that the development reflected a deeper realignment within the opposition, stating that the party remained committed to fairness as it prepared for its February congresses.
The ADC has been pushing opposition figures to formally resign from their parties and register fully with the ADC, a move resisted by key coalition leaders. The party’s internal wrangling intensified in August when Nafiu Bala announced he had assumed office as National Chairman, escalating a leadership tussle that has left the party split ahead of 2027. The situation remains fluid, with stakeholders awaiting a decision from the Federal High Court on the legitimacy of David Mark’s leadership of the ADC.