The leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is still being contested, with the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, accusing a faction linked to former Senate President, David Mark, of attempting to assume control of the party through what he described as unconstitutional committees and parallel structures.
Speaking on Thursday, Kachikwu alleged that elected party officials were displaced and replaced with loyalists in several states, contrary to the party’s constitutional provisions.
The remarks followed a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising congresses conducted by the Mark-led faction and also barring key actors from interfering in the affairs of duly elected state executives.
Responding, the Mark faction, through spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi, insisted the ADC remains intact and focused on the 2027 elections, saying it had already taken legal steps to challenge the ruling. He added that the party would continue to pursue its case “within the ambit of the law”.
Kachikwu maintained that the party’s constitution clearly assigns congresses and conventions to state chairmen, stressing: “In our constitution, the congresses are conducted and midwifed by the state chairman”.
He alleged that ad hoc committees were used to override elected structures across several states. “They set up ad hoc committees and had these committees take over the functions of the states to bring in people they wanted”, he said.
He also claimed that some officials who initially supported the faction later changed their position after being sidelined.
“These guys came back to me and said, ‘What you said was right. These people don’t mean well for the party”, he said.
Kachikwu referenced a court decision that nullified the disputed congresses and convention, describing the process as irregular and inconsistent with due process.
He insisted the crisis reflects an attempt to destabilise the party, adding: “It will never happen in this party”.
Earlier, Kachikwu described the lower court ruling as vindication, saying attempts to take over the party had failed, adding: “These desperados who attempted to hijack our party have failed woefully”.
ADC state chairmen leader, Kingsley Oggah, also welcomed the ruling, but warned that lingering disagreements could still affect party unity if not resolved.
