Isaac Samuel
The leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a fresh turn, as a faction led by Nafiu Bala has formally petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw its recognition of the party’s current leadership.
In the petition, Bala urged the electoral umpire to remove former Senate President, David Mark, and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
Bala, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, maintained that he is the rightful leader of the ADC, insisting that he ought to have succeeded the immediate past chairman, Ralph Nwosu, following his resignation.
The latest move comes in the wake of a ruling by the Court of Appeal, which struck out an appeal filed by Mark challenging an earlier decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja on the protracted leadership dispute.
The appellate court, in appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, held that the case was procedurally incompetent, having been filed against an interlocutory decision without the required leave of court.
Earlier, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court had declined to grant Bala’s request to compel INEC to withdraw recognition of Mark and Aregbesola.
However, the court directed the defendants to show cause why the reliefs sought should not be granted, effectively putting them on notice.
Dissatisfied with that ruling, Mark approached the appellate court, but the bid to overturn the decision failed, with the court subsequently ordering all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Despite the subsisting order, Bala has now escalated the matter to INEC, seeking official recognition as the National Chairman of the party.
Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, faulted the ADC over what he described as “wild allegations,” urging the party to resolve its internal crisis.
Basiru dismissed claims that the Presidency and the APC were mounting pressure on INEC to deregister the ADC, stressing that neither is a party to the ongoing litigation.
“The Presidency and the APC are not parties to the suit. It was David Mark who approached the Court of Appeal, and the court has ruled that the status quo ante bellum should be maintained,” he said.
He added that any organisation that respects the rule of law must abide by the court’s directive pending the final determination of the case.
