Opinion

Opposition protest: INEC’s chair hasn’t hand in ADC’s 2027 dilemma

Published

1 hour ago

April 13, 2026

By Ehichioya Ezomon

An adage with biblical backing says, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25, Matthew 12:25). In other words, “United we stand, divided we fall” – a statement highlighting that “internal division, conflict, and discord will lead to the collapse of any group, family, or kingdom.” Deviate from this precept, and all efforts will end in vain!
Members of the self-acclaimed “main” opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) have found themselves in this awkward situation, with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, chapter warning lately that, “a divided house cannot stand,” and urged members to “avoid internal legal battles” that are raging in the courts.
Two Federal High Courts in Abuja have fixed sessions for Monday, April 13, and Tuesday, April 14, 2026, respectively, for judgment in a suit, praying for the sack of ADC’s Interim National Chairman, former Senate President David Mark, and Interim National Secretary, ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola; and hearing in a writ, asking for replacement of Mark and Aregbesola’s leadership with that of former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu-Bala Gombe.
Both suits instituted by ADC’s Rep. Leke Abejide (Yagba, Kogi State) and Bala Gombe, accordingly claim that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola didn’t receive the sanction of ADC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and/or the National Convention, thereby violating the party’s constitution, the reviewed 2022 Electoral Act and Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Nine months to the 2027 General Election, the ADC’s split into three, with each camp claiming control of the party affairs. They’re the court derecognised leadership of Mark and Aregbesola; Bala Gombe; and chairmen from 25 states, who, claiming “membership of the NEC,” on April 7, set up a 20-member interim committee, led by Kogi State chapter chairman, Kingsley Temitope Ogah, to run affairs of the party until the conduct of the national convention.
The “newlook” ADC morphed from a divided platform due to the founder, Chief Ralph Nwosu, not fully relinquishing his hold on the party. Even as his chairmanship expired and was dissolved, he didn’t hand over the reins to Bala Gombe, but to Mark and Aregbesola as interim helmsmen.
Nwosu reportedly sold the ADC to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar-led Coalition of Opposition Politicians (COP), which galvanises to thwart alleged plot by President Bola Tinubu to foist a “one-party state” on Nigeria, vowing to “remove him” and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) “from power” in 2027.
Failing to do due diligence on the “original ADC” that’s steaming with discontents, the leaders didn’t also put their house in order after its “hostile takeover,” relying on their capacity to browbeat aggrieved founding members, who Nwosu allegedly sidelined to trade off the platform.
Taking no responsibility for their sloppy actions, the ADC leaders have channelled their anger toward the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, for accusingly assuming the powers to interpret a Court of Appeal judgment derecognising the party’s interim leadership.
As The Nation reported on April 9, the struggle for control of ADC’s structure has put the national convention under threat “following the uncertainty over state congresses that should herald the convention,” as Anambra, Bayelsa, Ondo and Sokoto states, “where rival camps are at loggerheads, have put their congresses on hold.”

An Adamawa High Court also suspended the party congresses in the state – an action likely to have ripple effect in other states.
The seething ADC finally exploded on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Abuja, when the chieftains demonstrated against the INEC chair, calling for his immediate resignation or sack by “appropriate constitutional authorities.”
In a counter move on Thursday, April 9, the Bala Gombe camp staged a protest at the INEC headquarters, demanding formal recognition as ADC’s “authentic leadership.” It accused the Mark-Aregbesola faction of attempting to hijack the party structure in violation of its constitution.
Facing a possible botched national convention – which may affect fielding candidates for the 2027 poll – the ADC topshots of Atiku, Mark, Aregbesola, former Governors Peter Obi (Anambra State), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) stormed the INEC headquarters, accusing Amupitan of “bias and interference in the party’s internal affairs.”
In a joint letter by Mark and Aregbesola, addressed to the INEC chairman, the ADC leaders demanded his immediate resignation “in the interest of preserving the integrity of INEC” or his removal by the appropriate constitutional authorities for “gross misconduct, abuse of office, and violation of constitutional boundaries.”
The leaders also called for the withdrawal of INEC’s “offensive correspondence” to the ADC, a formal apology, and a commitment to refrain from further interference in party affairs, threatening to “activate all lawful and constitutional mechanisms,” including judicial proceedings and coordinated civic action, if the demands weren’t met.
“We write to convey our strongest condemnation of your recent actions and public statements, which have further deepened concerns about your fitness to continue in office. The interpretation of court judgments is the exclusive preserve of the judiciary,” the leaders stated.
“For the Chairman of INEC to publicly assume that role amounts to a serious constitutional breach,” the leaders said, adding that INEC’s correspondence had reinforced concerns that”it may be aligning with factional interests within the party,” thereby undermining confidence in the electoral system.
Linking such factional interests to a former official (Nafiu-Bala Gombe), the ADC leaders claimed that the said official “participated in a NEC meeting where the NWC, led by Ralph Nwosu, was dissolved,” warning that “any subsequent reliance on that individual’s authority or signature lacked legal basis.”
Stressing that the INEC chairman’s interpretation of judicial decisions or interference in the internal affairs of parties could erode Nigeria’s multi-party democratic system, the leaders warned: “We state, without equivocation, that the ADC will resist any such attempt lawfully, firmly, and resolutely.”

In a similar protest at the INEC headquarters, Bala Gombe, with ADC’s Rep. Abejide and hundreds of supporters, stressed the need for due process in resolving the dispute in the ADC.
Gombe said: “We are here to urge INEC to follow due process. You cannot come to the ADC through the window and expect to overturn the owners of the ADC. As democrats, we don’t want any moneybags to come and destroy democracy. The ADC is for all Nigerians from wards, states, to the national level.”

Stating that ADC’s constitution clearly outlines eligibility criteria for leadership positions, Hon. Abejide said: “We are here to urge INEC to do the right thing and rescue democracy from the hands of usurpers.

How do you come to a party and attempt to hijack the leadership on the same day? Which political platform is that done?

“The party constitution is clear about this. You have to spend at least two years in the ADC, as an active member, before you can aspire for any position. It is clear that the commission has not erred. These people are hijackers, and INEC must follow through on reverting to status quo ante bellum by recognising Nafiu Bala-Gombe as the national chairman of the party.”

While the ADC Director of Youths and Mobilisation, Mohammed Sahad, commended INEC for complying with a court order, he called for further action to affirm Gombe’s leadership. “INEC has not erred in any way.

In fact, we commend the commission for obeying the court order,” he said, adding, “But they need to recognise Nafiu Bala-Gombe as the authentic national chairman of the ADC. INEC needs to do the right thing and do it now. That is why we are here.”