Nafi’u Bala declares himself national chairman of ADC

A fresh leadership crisis has erupted in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as Nafi’u Bala, a former governorship candidate of the party in Gombe State and ex-national deputy chairman, has declared himself the interim national chairman of the party.

At a press conference held Wednesday night in Abuja, Bala accused the David Mark-led faction of illegally hijacking the party’s leadership and violating its constitution. He vowed to challenge the move in court, describing it as a “shameful political takeover orchestrated by outsiders.”

“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 said.

He alleged that the party’s structures have been unlawfully surrendered to political figures with no ties to the ADC, warning that such actions undermine internal democracy.

Bala’s declaration follows the July 2 announcement by Ralph Nwosu, the party’s founder and former national chairman, who dissolved the national working committee (NWC) and endorsed an interim leadership headed by former Senate President David Mark.

That transition came shortly after several opposition leaders—including Atiku Abubakar, Uche Secondus, Aminu Tambuwal, Peter Obi, Nasir el-Rufai, and others—adopted the ADC as the coalition platform for the 2027 general elections.

Bala, however, described the move as a “political melodrama” and a betrayal of party principles. He said legitimate members of the ADC were sidelined in favor of “political strangers,” asserting that only elected officials have the authority to manage party structures.

“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,” Bala emphasized.

He stated that the ADC constitution provides clear succession procedures and that, based on those guidelines, he has assumed the role of interim national chairman.

“I call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently recognize me as the legitimate chairman of the African Democratic Congress,” Bala urged.

He also promised that if the Mark-led leadership continues to disregard the party’s constitutional provisions, legal action will be taken to reverse what he described as an “unprecedented act of impunity.”