A major internal upheaval is shaking the foundation of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the political party recently adopted by a coalition of hopefuls and stakeholders as a platform for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The storm broke on Tuesday, July 30, 2025, when Hon. Nafi’u Bala Gombe, the party’s National Deputy Chairman, issued a damning press release in which he proclaimed himself as the Acting National Chairman. He invoked the party’s constitution and claimed that the existing leadership had committed grave infractions, including unlawfully handing the reins of the party to individuals without party affiliation.
“This disgraceful capitulation is alien to our democratic ethos,” Bala said, accusing the leadership of undermining the will of party members and trampling on established succession procedures. He called the actions “a constitutional betrayal and a violent distortion of ADC’s core values.”
The press statement, directed to party faithful and INEC, condemned the transfer of party authority to external elements who had neither contested in elections nor held valid party membership. Bala signaled readiness to initiate legal proceedings to challenge what he described as “brazen acts of impunity.”
By assuming the mantle of Interim Chairman, Bala has thrown the ADC into a state of uncertainty — a troubling development for a party just beginning to organize itself as the face of a new opposition movement. The timing, coming as the opposition coalition prepares for primaries, has alarmed political analysts and party supporters alike.
Thus far, the official leadership of the ADC has not issued any counter-statement, further fueling speculation and internal anxiety. Party insiders express concern that the infighting could shatter the fragile unity within the coalition and cripple the opposition’s 2027 aspirations.
INEC and the Board of Trustees are now under pressure to step in quickly to stabilize the party and prevent further disintegration.