The leadership challenges faced by African Democratic Congress (ADC) appear not to be abating, as a document from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed fundamental flaws in the composition of the current leadership led by former Senate President David Mark.
The document, a memo dated August 6, 2025, was in respect of a communication between ADC and INEC on the meetings that produced the caretaker committee of the party.
It contained a submitted list of the caretaker committee, National Working Committee (NWC), and zonal officers of ADC as ratified at the ADC meeting of July 2025, as well as the minutes of the party’s 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of July 29, 2025.
According to the memo signed by Deputy Director, Election Party Monitoring Committee (EPMC), Joan Arabs, ADC did not give the required 21 days’ notice to the commission in respect of the meeting that produced the caretaker committee nor provide any records of the meeting.
Arabs, in the memo to the chairman of EPMC, pointed out that failure to serve such notice violated Section 82(5) of the Electoral Act, and as such rendered it invalid.
The memo read, “The provision of section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2025 is clear on which of the activities of political parties requires the mandatory 21 days’ notice.
“The section is reproduced herein:
‘Every registered political party shall give the Commission at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of ‘merger and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any elective offices specified under this Act’.
“The emphasis here is placed on what the gathering, by whatever name it is called, seeks to achieve. Section 82(5) made it clear that failure to give the notice stipulated in 82(1) renders the activity invalid.
“The ADC gave the Commission the Notice of the NEC meeting held on July 29, 2025 that ratified the resolutions of the National Working Committee (NWC) but neglected to give notice of the meeting where those resolutions were made.
“The party did not state the effective date the appointed caretaker takes effect from the communications of the party. It is not within the powers of the commission to impose upon any political party when and how to activate the implementation of its decisions and resolutions.”
Besides, the deputy director informed the chairman that ADC had not forwarded the specimen signatures of the caretaker chairman and secretary.
Accordingly, Arabs recommended, “That the commission await the submission of the names and specimen signatures of the supposed new leadership of the African Democratic Congress and the proposed effective take off date.”
By the memo, ADC had in the letters dated July 29, 2025 forwarded the said documents relying on the provisions of Articles 19(12)(vii) and 19(14)(N,O,P&S) of the party’s 2022 constitution.
The 2022 amended constitution, in Article 19{12){vii), empowers the caretaker committee to exercise all the powers and perform all the functions of NEC, pending the next meeting of NEC for ratification.
Other provisions of the articles allowed the caretaker committee to exercise powers and functions as may be vested in it by the National Convention, pending the next national convention; ratify all the decisions and resolutions of the National Working Committee; and ratify the dissolution of any state executive and constitution of Interim or careteker committee as the NWC might recommend.
The deputy director observed that ADC had in the said letters stated that it was officially submitting the names of the caretaker National Working Committee and zonal executives that were ratified by its NEC.
Arabs stated, “This goes to show that the appointment of the caretaker committee was not the product of the NEC or decision taken at the NEC meeting but outside which the NEC has the power to ratify.
“Paragraph 8 of the minutes of the NEC meeting at folio 83 states that, ‘the report of the NEC Mandated NWC was read, and the NEC ratified the resolutions adopted at the NWC meeting held on July 2, 2025, which included the decision to constitute a caretaker Committee to manage the party’s affairs considering the coalition process and internal restructuring’
“It is worth noting that for any action or activity to be ratified, it would have taken place prior to the date of the ratification. There is no record of the appointment of the caretaker committee of the African Democratic Party with the commission that requires ratification has claimed by the executives of the party.”
The party, again, at paragraph 12 of the minutes of the NEC meeting stated that following the ratification of the NWC resolutions, NEC approved the appointment of the caretaker committee to steer the party for a period not exceeding 12 months and listed the composition to include Senator David Mark as Caretaker National chairman, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as Caretaker National Secretary, and Bolaji Abdullahi as Caretaker National Publicity Secretary.
“Article 19(12) of the ADC Constitution provides for the powers of the National Working Committee to include performing all the functions of the National Executive Committee pending the next meeting of the National Executive Committee for ratification,” Arabs added.
He said the chairman, in his response, wrote: “noted”.
INEC had last week, citing the ruling of the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, de-recognised the David Mark-led leadership of ADC.
The decision appeared to put the chances of the party in the 2027 general election in jeopardy, following their planned National Convention slated for April 14.
The party, however, vowed to proceed with the convention, arguing that INEC’s role at such convention is merely supervisory.
ADC added that the mandatory 21 days’ notice had already been communicated to the electoral umpire.
Nevertheless, former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, Nafiu Bala Gombe, is currently in court challenging the Mark leadership.
Gombe specifically asked the court to declare him the authentic chairman of the party, alleging unlawful takeover by the Mark-led leadership.
According to him, the resignation of Nwosu and other members of the former executive automatically made him the leader of the party, having not resigned with the others.
ADC to Sue INEC Over ‘Mischievous’ Interpretation of Appeal Court Judgement
ADC announced plans to institute legal action against INEC over what it described as a “mischievous” interpretation of a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal regarding the party’s leadership.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the Katsina State chapter of ADC, Sunday evening, Lawal Tukur-Batagarawa, said the national leadership, in consultation with its legal team, had concluded plans to challenge INEC’s action in a court of competent jurisdiction.
Tukur-Batagarawa explained that INEC’s decision to remove the ADC leadership from its official portal was based on a flawed understanding of the appellate court’s directive to maintain the “status quo” pending further proceedings.
Describing the move as “mischievous” and a misinterpretation of the appellate court ruling, Tukur-Batagarawa said the judgement did not warrant the suspension or removal of its leadership structure from the commission’s portal.
According to him, INEC wrongly interpreted the directive to maintain the status quo mean a suspension of the entire ADC national leadership structure.
He stated, “The INEC deliberately, consciously, decided to create mischief and doubt in the minds of people, interpreted the status quo to mean suspending the entire leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress. This is sheer mischief.
“The national headquarters of our party, in consultation with our legal team, deliberated extensively on this matter and came to the conclusion that we are going to challenge this interpretation of INEC in the court of competent jurisdiction. We are sure the interpretation of INEC was mischievous and wrong.”
Opposition Considering Second Alternative
Determined to deal with the leadership crisis in ADC and avoid a repeat of what happened to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with its Ibadan national convention, opposition leaders are considering alternative political platforms ahead of the 2027 elections.
THISDAY gathered that the opposition leadership was weighing options with political parties with stable political leadership.
One of the sources said they were considering the options of contesting under Action Peoples Party (APP) or National Democratic Congress (NDC) if the legal issues affecting ADC were not resolved.
According to the sources, the crisis within ADC, compounded by the refusal of INEC to recognise the party’s leadership, could prevent the party from fielding candidates in the 2027 elections.
They said opposition leaders would meet in Abuja after the Easter break to deliberate on a strategy and decide on the way forward.
Sources alleged that the ongoing legal battle surrounding ADC could extend beyond the party primaries and affect the submission of its register of members.
According to them, May 8 is the expected deadline for political parties to submit their registers to INEC ahead of the electoral cycle.
A source said, “If this crisis continues and members contest within ADC, and the party loses recognition, they cannot simply move to another party.
“With INEC refusing to recognise the current leadership, any convention or congress conducted under the disputed administration would be invalid.”
ADC Experiencing Surge in Membership After INEC’s Derecognition of Leadership
ADC said it had recorded an upsurge in its membership registration since INEC released its statement derecognising the party’s leadership on April 1.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement on X on Sunday, disclosed that “between 7:00 PM on April 1 when @inecnigeria released its statement, and 5:00 PM today, over half a million (500,000) new Nigerians have joined the ADC.”
Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah, Francis Sardauna and Ahmad Sorondinki
