A fresh leadership crisis has rocked the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following a dramatic declaration by Nafi’u Bala, the party’s former governorship candidate in Gombe State and ex-national deputy chairman, who has proclaimed himself the interim national chairman. At a press conference held Wednesday night in Abuja, Bala accused the faction led by former Senate President David Mark of orchestrating an unconstitutional takeover of the party. He described the development as a “shameful political hijack” by individuals with no genuine affiliation to the ADC.
Bala alleged that the party’s structures have been unlawfully surrendered to prominent political figures from outside the ADC, including leaders from other opposition parties. He warned that such actions undermine internal democracy and the values on which the party was built. According to him, the ADC’s constitution outlines clear procedures for leadership succession, and by those provisions, he is the rightful interim chairman. He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognize his leadership, vowing to challenge the opposing faction in court if necessary.
This development comes after Ralph Nwosu, the party’s founder and former chairman, announced on July 2 the dissolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) and handed over leadership to a new interim committee led by David Mark. That move coincided with several major opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Uche Secondus, Nasir el-Rufai, and Aminu Tambuwal, endorsing ADC as the coalition platform for the 2027 elections. Bala criticized this coalition, referring to it as a “political melodrama” and a betrayal of the party’s grassroots members.
Bala further insisted that the current power tussle is not merely about positions but about the soul and democratic integrity of the party. He argued that only legitimately elected officials have the authority to manage party structures, and no group of leaders has the power to arbitrarily transfer those mandates to political outsiders.
Meanwhile, some state chairmen of the ADC have already pledged their support for the David Mark-led committee, signaling a widening divide within the party. With both factions digging in, the crisis threatens to destabilize the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections and casts doubt on the effectiveness of its newly adopted role as a unifying platform for Nigeria’s opposition parties.