…Bala Declares Self Interim-Chairman, Seek INEC Recognition
…Fears Rise Party May Implode Due to Internal Resistance
…Imoke and Olujimi Disagree on Coalition’s Strength
By Yinka Giwa
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is facing a fresh wave of internal crisis 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. Bala’s declaration, which came like a bolt from the blue during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, has deepened existing tensions within the party, as he accused the faction led by former Senate President David Mark of orchestrating an illegitimate takeover of the ADC.
“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 to newsmen. He alleged that the party’s internal mechanisms had been handed over to individuals with no organic ties to the ADC, warning that such moves threaten internal democracy and compromise the party’s ideological foundation.
Bala’s remarks were a direct rebuttal to the recent restructuring announced on July 2 by ADC founder and former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu, who disbanded the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and endorsed an interim leadership under David Mark. The restructuring is part of a broader coalition effort involving prominent opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Uche Secondus, Nasir el-Rufai, and others, with the aim of forging a united platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Describing the coalition arrangement as a “shameful political takeover orchestrated by outsiders,” Bala denounced the restructuring as a betrayal of the party’s constitution. “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 said. Bala insisted that his self-declaration as interim chairman was in line with the party’s constitutional provisions and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently recognise him as the legitimate national chairman of the ADC.
He further warned that unless the Mark-led group retraces its steps and returns to the party’s constitutional framework, he would initiate legal proceedings to restore what he described as “lawful, transparent, and people-driven leadership.” Bala’s declaration has further complicated the ADC’s position as it struggles to position itself as a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amidst the leadership tussle, former Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, and former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Senator Biodun Olujimi, have expressed divergent views on the coalition’s capacity to unseat President Tinubu. Both politicians, who were once prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), now find themselves on opposite sides of the political aisle, with Imoke backing the ADC coalition and Olujimi recently defecting to the APC.
Speaking during the inaugural meeting of the ADC in Calabar, Imoke said the coalition’s campaign to unseat Tinubu was serious and gaining traction, driven by widespread disillusionment and a national hunger for change. “We are not joking about the takeover in 2027. No amount of propaganda can stop the coalition,” Imoke said, dismissing concerns about internal divisions among key political figures in the alliance.
However, Senator Olujimi, appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, was less optimistic about the coalition’s prospects. She argued that the ADC lacked the structure and capacity to challenge President Tinubu’s re-election bid, noting that Obi’s 2023 electoral rhetoric would not be enough in 2027. “The rhetoric of the last election will not work again, except he comes with another gimmick. Tinubu knows the terrain; beating him is an uphill task,” she said.
Olujimi, a former Senate minority leader, justified her defection to the APC, describing the party under Tinubu as pragmatic and resolute. She noted that the APC she used to criticise had transformed, taking bold decisions and sticking with them, unlike previous administrations. Olujimi said her supporters welcomed her move to the APC, while the PDP, in her view, had lost traction and relevance.
She dismissed the ADC’s viability as a political platform, pointing out its weak structures at the grassroots level, particularly in Ekiti State. According to her, it was unrealistic to expect the ADC to mount a serious challenge without functional political networks at the ward and local government levels. “All the leaders in ADC are my friends, but it is not properly anchored. I would now go from number two to number five and then start looking for structures at the unit level when the primaries are just around the corner,” she said.
Despite Olujimi’s skepticism, the ADC coalition continues to gather prominent opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf Aregbesola, and David Mark, who was appointed as interim national chairman with Aregbesola as secretary. They have vowed to rally Nigerians in a bid to unseat Tinubu in 2027.
Political analysts say the leadership tussle ignited by Bala’s self-declaration and the lack of consensus among key political actors highlight the fragility of the ADC’s coalition strategy. While the party’s ambition to build a formidable alternative to the APC is laudable, its internal power struggles and structural weaknesses remain significant obstacles on its path to 2027.
For instance, several prominent long‑standing ADC figures have publicly dissented against the decision to adopt the party as the vehicle for the 2027 opposition coalition. Led by the faction dubbed “Concerned Stakeholders of the ADC,” state executives, youth and women leaders, and ward coordinators had issued a statement rejecting the coalition’s leadership changes, including the appointment of Rauf Aregbesola as interim secretary, as invalid and undemocratic .
Among those raising alarm is Dumebi Kachikwu, the ADC’s 2023 presidential candidate, who bluntly criticised the coalition’s move as a “back‑door deal.” Kachikwu had stated that the coalition leaders entered the party without regard for constitutional mandates, notably the requirement that officials must serve at least two years before assuming leadership roles, stating that the entire takeover lacked legitimacy .
Another vocal critic, Hon. Leke Abejide, a federal House of Representatives member and self-proclaimed financier of the party, warned that the opposition coalition had effectively “entered the party through the back door.” He distanced himself from coalition meetings and said he believed the imposed leadership had no prospect of success.
Dr. Musa Isa Matara, ADC’s national publicity secretary representing the “Original ADC,” alongside multiple state chairmen and youth leaders, has also emphasised that coalition proponents bypassed key party organs. Matara insisted that none of the executive, ward, or state leadership were consulted, describing the coalition process as exclusionary and a betrayal of grassroots democracy .