ADC crisis: State chairmen plan caretaker committee
The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress deepened on Friday as state chairmen of the party announced plans to assume control of its leadership, citing a recent decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission to derecognise the Senator David Mark-led National Working Committee as the authority of the party.
The Chairman of the state chairmen of ADC, Temitope Ogga, in an interview said the decision became necessary to prevent a leadership vacuum and safeguard the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ogga, who is also the Kogi State Chairman of ADC, said the National Executive Committee, comprising the state chairmen, would meet on Tuesday and select a Caretaker Committee to pilot the affairs of the party pending the resolution of legal issues.
INEC on Wednesday removed the names of the NWC of ADC led by Mark from its official portal, in compliance with a Court of Appeal order.
The electoral commission said it would maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the determination of a substantive suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The decision follows a protracted leadership crisis within the ADC, with rival factions led by Nafiu Bala Gombe and Mark laying claim to the party’s national structure.
According to the commission, the appellate court, in a judgment delivered on March 12, 2026, directed all parties to maintain the existing situation before the dispute arose and refrain from actions that could prejudice the outcome of the case.
But the Mark-led NWC rejected INEC’s decision and called for the dissolution of the electoral commission, saying that it is biased.
It also vowed to proceed with preparations for the proposed National Convention scheduled for Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, on April 14.
Speaking on the crisis, Ogga disclosed plans to formally notify INEC of the state chairmen’s decision to take over the leadership of the party through a Caretaker Committee.
“After the NWC (National Working Committee), we are the next highest decision-making organ of the party. We are the NEC (National Executive Committee), all the state chairmen are members of the NEC, and it is the most powerful organ of the party. The NEC is made up of the NWC and all the state chairmen. So, as state chairmen, we are taking over the national leadership of the party because there must not be a leadership vacuum.
“Now that the court has said that it does not recognised the NWC as the party authority, they did not disband the state chairmen and their executives, so we are the next in line to take over the party, according to the party’s constitution.
“We are expected to do this immediately because there should not be a vacuum in party leadership, so we have taken over, it is just for INEC to ratify this. This is why we have called the NEC meeting for Tuesday to select members of the Caretaker Committee that will pilot the affairs of the party until the court says otherwise.
“The committee will be in acting capacity, and we are going to write INEC to inform them of this new development. We will submit the names of the members of the committee to INEC after our meeting on Tuesday,” Ogga said.
Ogga further questioned the legitimacy of any parallel convention being planned by the embattled national leadership, insisting that such a gathering would be invalid without the participation of the electoral umpire.
“Let them go ahead with their convention, but who are they going to submit names to? If INEC does not attend, it is null and void. Anybody can gather and claim anything, but INEC must monitor and ratify it,” he said.
He maintained that the state chairmen were acting in the interest of the party rather than individuals, stressing that the state chairmen would abide by the final outcome of the court process.
“If the court reinstates them today, we are ready to take them back and work with them. We are fighting for the party, not individuals,” he said.
Ogga warned that failure to act swiftly could weaken the party’s base, noting that internal instability could cost the ADC its growing support ahead of the next general election.
“We are protecting the party from destruction. If we don’t act now, we risk losing our followers,” he said.
He also dismissed the influence of prominent party figures, insisting that electoral success would ultimately depend on the party’s platform rather than individual personalities.
“Nigerians are not voting for individuals; they are voting for the party. We will remain, and we believe Nigerians will vote for us because they are clamouring for change,” he added.
Meanwhile, the embattled NWC has faulted the position of INEC over its interpretation of a Court of Appeal order, describing it as a misrepresentation of the directive to maintain the status quo.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday, also accused INEC of overstepping its constitutional mandate.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, in an interview on Arise Television on Friday, cautioned the Mark-led faction against proceeding with its planned congresses without official recognition.
He emphasised that all party activities must comply with existing court directives and warned that any actions taken outside due process would not be recognised by the Commission.
But the party maintained that its internal activities, including congresses and its national convention, remain lawful and protected, insisting that no court order has barred it from proceeding with its scheduled programmes.
Abdullahi accused INEC of exceeding its supervisory role and attempting to obstruct lawful processes, maintaining that internal disputes do not halt democratic activities while reaffirming its resolve to proceed in full compliance with the law.
