The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally recognised the new leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) two months after a coalition of opposition parties adopted the platform and assumed control of its structures.
Checks on INEC’s official website on Wednesday showed that the commission had updated the party’s leadership details to reflect Senator David B. Mark as National Chairman, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, Dr Mani Ibrahim Ahmad as National Treasurer, Akibu Dalhatu as National Financial Secretary, and Prof. Oserhiemen Aigberaodion Osunbor as National Legal Adviser.
The coalition of opposition forces, championed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar alongside other prominent politicians, had on July 2 formally adopted the ADC as its common platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election. At that event, former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola were announced as interim chairman and secretary, replacing Ralph Nwosu and Alhaji Sai’d Baba Abdullahi.
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At its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on July 30, the party ratified Mark’s appointment as Interim National Chairman, Aregbesola as National Secretary, and Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi as National Publicity Secretary. The NEC also dissolved the existing National Working Committee (NWC) and inaugurated a caretaker committee that included Dr Mani Ibrahim Ahmad as National Treasurer, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir David Lawal as one of the Deputy National Chairmen, former Senator Tunde Ogbeha as National Vice Chairman (North-Central), and Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbor as National Legal Adviser, among others.
Other appointees announced by the coalition include Barr. Chinedu Idigbo as National Organising Secretary, Sen. Musa Elayo as National Vice Chairman (Diaspora), and Comrade Nkem Ukandu as National Welfare Secretary.
However, the party has faced resistance from within. Its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, rejected the takeover, while its only elected federal lawmaker, Hon. Leke Abejide, also declined to recognise the coalition-led leadership. Adding to the confusion, former ADC governorship candidate in Gombe State, Nafiu Bala, declared himself as factional national chairman. The delay by INEC in updating its records to reflect the new leadership only heightened political uncertainty around the party.
Speaking on Channels TV yesterday after INEC’s recognition of the new leadership, the party’s spokesman, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed suggestions of any legal challenge against the ADC.
“What we have is the completion of the administrative process of changing the leadership of the ADC from where we were coming from to where we want to be. So, there is no question of any other leadership of the ADC,” he said.
He insisted that there was no genuine contention over leadership, except “the one created by the media.” According to him, “The coalition came into the ADC, and all the relevant executives resigned en masse to allow the new officers to take over. Now, we have taken over, and the duty that we have is to go back to INEC, show that we held a NEC meeting, and present the new leadership.”
Abdullahi argued that none of the dissenting voices had the standing to challenge the new order. “You cannot find anybody who is challenging this who has the locus to do it. You mentioned the former presidential candidate of the party (Kachikwu). He does not have the locus because he was not in the executive,” he said.
He further explained that the recognition process should be measured from July 30, when the party’s NEC formally ratified the new leadership.
“It’s a new territory for us. It’s not something you see every day, that a political party is being formed the way we had formed it. So, there are bound to be some issues. But INEC, being the regulatory body and ensuring everything was done the right way, required some back and forth. Eventually, we were able to meet all the requirements in terms of documentation, and that is now resolved. Today we can move forward in terms of building our party.”
Abdullahi also clarified that there was no contradiction between INEC recognising the new officers substantively and the NEC electing them in an interim or caretaker capacity. He praised the electoral body for “standing on the path of democracy” and said the recognition would reassure members nationwide.
“This gives more confidence to our membership across the country because many people were apprehensive, not knowing what could happen,” he said. “The integrity of our public institutions is at stake. A lot of them have credibility problems, so even when issues are purely administrative, people begin to suspect conspiracies. The longer it took to tidy this up, the more people thought INEC was pandering to other interests. Now that this has been done, we can go ahead. Our members across the country are excited. Those who were holding back, waiting for this to happen, have now seen it, and they can come in. We can move more deliberately in the task of building our party.”
Last week, Abdullahi led some NWC members to a meeting at INEC headquarters in Abuja to discuss the matter. Afterward, he told Daily Trust that they “had a discussion on some issues, including leadership change, and we had a good understanding.”
El-Rufai on party’s structure and 2027 ambitions
The delay coincided with growing debate within the coalition after some members, including former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, hinted at contesting the ADC’s presidential ticket on the promise of a one-term presidency.
Their positioning drew sharp criticism from former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, who argued that talk of candidacy was premature.
Speaking on Channels TV, El-Rufai said the coalition’s priority should be building a truly national party rather than focusing on zoning or term pledges.
“On the question of people saying, ‘I will do one term,’ I don’t think anyone believes them. It is not right to constitutionally give up what is yours. Four years is not enough to make meaningful change in government, as those of us who have governed know,” he said.
“I want to appeal to everyone to stop making this commitment of four years. Nobody believes it, and you will end up changing the story. Let us wait for the party to settle, then we can decide the best path to win. Right now, the ADC is not a national party. We need to make it one. That is the first step, just as we did when forming the APC. Once we have built strong structures, then we can produce a candidate who can win.”
He warned that habitual contestants were distracting the coalition and urged leaders to channel their energy into building a credible alternative to the APC.
Tension in Kogi chapter as group alleges forceful takeover plot
Meanwhile, the ADC crisis has deepened in Kogi State, where rival factions have traded suspensions and accusations.
A group under the banner of Concerned Members of the ADC accused unnamed powerful figures of plotting to hijack the party in the state. At a press briefing yesterday, its spokesperson, Usman Lukman, described the alleged move as unconstitutional and vowed it would be resisted.
“Credible intelligence indicates that certain individuals, unknown to our structures, are plotting to forcefully take over the ADC leadership in Kogi. The ADC in Kogi was built painstakingly from the grassroots. Any attempt to hijack it through unconstitutional means will be firmly resisted,” Lukman said.
The group reaffirmed loyalty to Hon. Leke Abejide, whom it described as the undisputed leader of the party in the state. It dismissed those attempting to destabilise the ADC as “political opportunists and strange bedfellows.”
It also warned security agencies not to recognise or provide cover for any ADC meetings not sanctioned by Abejide or the constitutionally recognised state chairman. “Any such gathering by faceless impostors is illegal and a calculated attempt to breach peace and stability in Kogi,” the group insisted.
The warning followed last month’s open confrontation in the state chapter, where rival State Working Committees suspended each other over alleged anti-party activities. Ogga’s faction suspended Abejide and his allies while reaffirming a vote of confidence in State Chairman Hon. Kingsley Temitope Ogga. In swift response, Abejide’s loyalists reaffirmed Ogga’s expulsion, dismissing his purported return as a “figment of his imagination”.