African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused powerful figures within the All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating a plot to destabilise the party and secure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party alleged that certain APC officials are pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe as the national chairman of the ADC. The party described this as an effort to manufacture confusion within its ranks and weaken its role as a credible opposition platform.
The ADC reaffirmed that Senator David Mark emerged as national chairman in July 2025 following a combined meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC), a process witnessed and formally recognised by INEC.
The statement noted that Gombe has repeatedly laid claim to leadership of the party despite lacking legal backing. The ADC highlighted that a Federal High Court dismissed a case challenging Mark’s leadership on March 6, reinforcing the Supreme Court’s earlier judgement that party leadership is an internal matter.
“The objective is clear: to manufacture confusion within the ADC, sponsor illegitimate leadership claims and ultimately cripple the only credible opposition platform that Nigerians are increasingly looking up to as a genuine alternative, thereby leaving Nigerians with no choice in the next general election,” the party said.
The ADC vowed to resist attempts by “anti-democratic forces” to manipulate its leadership or influence judges and electoral officials. The party warned that such actions pose a dangerous threat to democratic pluralism and the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freely organise and support credible political alternatives.
