…Leadership tussle rages while opposition maps strategy to unseat APC
By Abu Adamu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is pushing ahead with an ambitious plan to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, even as a festering leadership crisis involving its Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala, threatens to destabilise the party from within.
At the centre of the turmoil is Bala’s insistence on his claim to the national chairmanship of the party, a move the ADC leadership has rejected, describing him as an impostor, while warning that the dispute could be part of a broader plot to weaken the opposition ahead of the next election cycle.
The crisis dates back to July 2025, when the party’s founder and long-serving chairman, Ralph Nwosu, dissolved the National Working Committee and stepped down from office. In the aftermath, an interim leadership structure headed by former Senate President, David Mark, was constituted to steer the party through a transitional phase leading to 2027.
However, Bala, who was Deputy National Chairman and the ADC’s 2023 governorship candidate in Gombe State, rejected the arrangement, arguing that the party’s constitution automatically elevates him to the position of National Chairman upon the resignation of the substantive chairman. He subsequently declared himself the “authentic” leader of the party in August 2025, accusing the Mark-led structure of engineering an illegal takeover.
The ADC leadership recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), however, moved swiftly to disown Bala, insisting that he had resigned his position months earlier and therefore lacked the standing to lay claim to the chairmanship. Party officials have since maintained that his actions amount to impersonation and a deliberate attempt to sow confusion within the ranks.
The dispute has now escalated into a legal battle, with conflicting interpretations of recent court rulings further muddying the waters. In a ruling this March, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed an appeal filed by Mark and awarded costs against him, a decision that followed an earlier interim order by a Federal High Court restraining him and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, from parading themselves as party leaders.
Despite claims in some quarters that the ruling strengthens Bala’s position, the court also directed all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit, effectively leaving the leadership question unresolved.
Amid the uncertainty, the ADC has raised alarm over what it described as external interference, alleging that elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are mounting pressure on INEC to recognise Bala in a bid to fracture the opposition and weaken its electoral prospects.
While the leadership tussle continues to fester, the Mark-led structure has moved to project stability and readiness for power, unveiling a comprehensive interim policy framework in Abuja as part of its preparations for the 2027 elections.
Presenting the document, Mark said the ADC was no longer content with playing opposition politics but was actively preparing to take over governance at the federal level. He described the policy framework as a foundational step towards building a credible alternative to the current administration.
According to him, the party’s approach will focus on gradual and carefully sequenced economic reforms designed to protect vulnerable Nigerians, a sharp contrast to what the ADC views as disruptive policy shifts under the present government.
Chairman of the party’s Policy and Manifesto Committee, John Odigie-Oyegun, said the framework represents a transition from rhetoric to actionable governance strategy, covering critical sectors including the economy, security, agriculture, energy and infrastructure.
Among its key proposals are the protection of low-income earners from taxation, the establishment of a Social Protection Act to institutionalise welfare programmes, and a tougher justice regime that would classify kidnapping and banditry as acts of terrorism to ensure swifter prosecution and deterrence.
The party also emphasised what it termed “democratic citizenship,” arguing that governance must be restructured to prioritise the needs of ordinary Nigerians over entrenched political and elite interests.
Mark said the interim report would be refined through nationwide consultations before being converted into a final manifesto, which he described as a binding governance document for all ADC candidates. The final version is expected to be ratified at the party’s national convention slated for April.