The Chief of Staff to Nafiu Bala Gombe, Bala Sani, has dismissed claims that his principal stepped down from his position in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the resignation letter circulating online as forged and misleading.
This is following the resignation of Ralph Nwosu as National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, (ADC), and the appointment of David Mark as acting chairman, a move that sparked internal disputes after a purported resignation letter linked to Nafiu Bala Gombe surfaced online.
Speaking during a live interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, Sani insisted that Gombe never submitted any resignation and maintained that no such document was presented as evidence during court proceedings related to the party’s ongoing leadership dispute.
“Can you call it a resignation letter, a fill-in-the-blank space? No. Nafiu Bala Gombe has said that he did not resign, and there is no justification for his resignation. This letter in circulation is forged; it’s fake. If Nafiu Bala is going to resign, he has his own letterhead paper as the Deputy National Chairman of the party. So he did not resign. And let me tell you one thing: I attended all the proceedings in court. None of the counsel to David Mark or the ADC submitted any letter as evidence of Nafiu Bala’s resignation,” he stated.
Sani insisted that his camp was simply seeking justice through the courts and could not be blamed for any delays. He warned that if anything happens to the African Democratic Congress today, “the coalition people would be held responsible.”
“You cannot blame us for that. We went to court seeking redress based on the injustice meted out to us. So they are the ones delaying the matter right now. If anything happens to ADC today, the coalition people will be held responsible,” he warned.
He also clarified that there was no collective resignation of the NWC, and the tenures of Bala Mohammed and Nafiu Bala Gombe run until December 2026, with documents submitted to INEC.
“No, there was not. The last convention we had was in 2022 in Zaria. The tenure of Bala Mohammed and Nafiu Bala will expire in December 2026. We have all the documents; we have submitted them to the court. The notice of the convention, the list of the National Working Committee members that were elected—it’s with INEC,” he explained.
Sani confirmed that Ralph Nwosu’s tenure had not yet expired when he resigned, noting that as of July 2, 2025, it was set to run until December 2026.
“As of July 2, 2025, his tenure would also have expired by December 2026.”
Addressing Kachikwu’s remarks, Bala Sani said he is an “ordinary” ADC member with no role in the party’s executive committees.
“I don’t know whether Dumebi Kachikwu wanted to be a life presidential aspirant of the ADC. Dumebi Kachikwu contested and is an ordinary member. He is not a member of the NWC, the State Working Committee, or the Ward Working Committee. He is a member of the ADC, not an executive of the ADC.”
Arguing that the leadership dispute does not weaken the party for 2027, Bala Sani said Ralph Nwosu violated the party constitution by appointing his own successor instead of letting Nafiu Bala Gombe take over and manage the transition.
“We are fighting for it. There is a violation of the party’s constitution at the moment Ralph Nwosu resigned. Automatically, when he resigned, the constitution of the party does not allow him to appoint his successor. At that material time, he should have allowed Nafiu Bala to take over the leadership of the party so that he could coordinate and organize the transitions,” he said.
Speaking on the party’s convention, Sani said he is unconcerned about the April 14 convention, noting that the party’s official convention is scheduled for April 8, 2026.
“I’m not bothered about that because our convention is supposed to take place on April 8, 2026. David Mark and his group, in the eyes of the law, don’t have any right to organize a convention or a congress on behalf of the ADC because they are illegitimate leaders. INEC recognized David Mark in error.”
He further stated that he prefers reconciliation between David Mark’s faction and his own to unite against the APC, emphasising that party negotiations must respect the ADC constitution.
“I prefer David Mark’s faction and our faction to come together and fight the APC. I would not choose APC over the people who show interest in joining our party. We are open to political negotiations. What we are demanding is to respect the constitution of the party,” he stressed.
Urging grassroots members to remain patient, Sani reassured them that all actions are for their benefit.
“What we are telling our members is they should be patient because we did not intend to go to court with this matter. They even forced us to go to court. If we had sat down on the table and discussed, all this would not have happened. They should be steadfast and have confidence in us; all what we are doing, we are doing for them,” he assured.
Adding, Sani said his faction seeks recognition of Nafiu Bala Gombe as acting national chairman of the ADC to organise congresses and the national convention.
“Let Nafiu Bala be recognized as the acting national chairman of the party and organize the congresses and the national convention where the substantive leadership will be elected,” he demanded.
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