The leadership crisis engulfing the African Democratic Congress has entered its most critical phase yet, with multiple developments converging in a single week that could determine whether the party survives as a credible opposition vehicle or fragments entirely as senior ADC figures have opened contingency talks with the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the Mark faction has held meetings with both the Peoples Redemption Party and a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, the Nigerian Bar Association has issued an extraordinary warning to judges and lawyers against being drawn into internal party disputes, state congresses have stalled across the country, and there is no visible sign of preparation for a national convention despite the faction’s earlier announcement.
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The developments unfold against the backdrop of three court cases all reaching critical stages within days of each other — with judgment in the Abejide suit fixed for April 13, hearing in the Gombe suit set for April 14, and a ruling on the deregistration amendment application scheduled for April 17.
Multiple sources familiar with internal ADC discussions disclosed that senior party figures have begun exploratory conversations with the NDC, describing the talks as a practical contingency rather than an ideological shift.
“Nobody wants to leave,” one source said, “but nobody is going to sit and watch everything get destroyed.” The sources indicated the discussions have reached an advanced stage.
The NDC’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, has publicly positioned his party as a platform for politicians affected by the instability in other parties.
“Our party is available for all Nigerians who are now helpless and desirous of a change. We are also open to politicians who are stranded as a result of the political developments in the country, who need a platform that is clean and unencumbered with any political crisis,” Dickson stated.
Dickson went further, warning against any drift towards a one-party state and cautioning that weakening the opposition would undermine Nigeria’s democratic foundations.
“We are against Nigeria becoming a one-party state. Our country is too large and too diverse for that. There can be no democracy without opposition,” he said.
He also urged INEC to maintain strict neutrality: “A threat to one opposition party is a threat to all opposition parties. We stand united to defend Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.”
In a separate development, representatives of the Mark faction met in Abuja on Saturday with the leadership of the Peoples Redemption Party, led by its new national chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
The ADC delegation, led by Mark himself and including spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi and Salihu Lukman, met with the PRP representatives just 48 hours after a similar meeting between the ADC faction and the Tanimu Turaki faction of the PDP.
Details of the meetings were not disclosed, but sources said the ADC delegation might be responding to a recent plea by Baba-Ahmed for opposition figures to join the PRP’s ranks and form a united front.
The fact that the Mark faction is meeting with multiple parties — the NDC, PDP, and PRP — suggests it is actively exploring alternatives in case the ADC crisis proves irreconcilable.
The ADC’s current leadership has produced what it says is documentary evidence undermining Gombe’s claim to the chairmanship.
According to documents cited, Gombe submitted a resignation letter from his position as Deputy National Chairman on May 17, 2025, stating his intention to “make way for a smooth and effective coalition and restructuring.”
The party subsequently notified INEC, which acknowledged receipt of the notification.
Furthermore, Gombe’s name appears on the attendance register of the July 29, 2025, National Executive Committee meeting at the Chelsea Hotel, Abuja — the meeting monitored by INEC officials at which Senator Mark was ratified as National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary.
Gombe’s legal team has argued that the resignation letter was forged, but the party disputes this, pointing to what it describes as consistent spelling patterns across Gombe’s own public communications over several years. No criminal complaint or police petition regarding the alleged forgery has been publicly filed.
Asked about his presence at the July 2, 2025, unveiling of Mark and Aregbesola’s leadership, Gombe told BBC Hausa that it was “not with the intention of endorsing David Mark as our leader.”
“My purpose was to support those adopting the ADC as the platform they would join to challenge the current administration. The post I made on social media was simply to welcome them and express my willingness to collaborate,” Gombe stated.
INEC’s handling of the crisis has drawn scrutiny from all sides. Having deployed monitors to the July 2025 NEC meeting and initially recognised the Mark-Aregbesola leadership, the commission subsequently suspended that recognition in April 2026, citing the Court of Appeal’s preservation order.
INEC has also filed an affidavit in court arguing that injunctions cannot apply to completed acts and that party leadership disputes fall outside the scope of judicial interference, citing Supreme Court precedents.
The apparent inconsistency between INEC’s earlier recognition and subsequent suspension has raised questions that neither the commission nor the courts have yet publicly resolved.
The ruling APC has firmly rejected allegations that it is behind the difficulties facing opposition parties.
APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka stated: “There’s nothing about the crisis within the ADC that has anything to do with the APC, nothing. It is purely the result of internal dysfunction and the arrogance of the leaders of the ADC.”
APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru noted that Nigeria currently has 19 registered political parties eligible to contest the 2027 elections and maintained that the President lacks constitutional authority to deregister parties or interfere in their affairs.
Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare echoed this position: “APC is not afraid of anything. The President has a legitimate mandate for four years and has busied himself with the affairs of the nation.”
However, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi has directly accused the ruling party of being behind the instability, alleging a deliberate strategy to eliminate credible challengers and warning that Nigeria risks sliding into a one-party state.
Despite the Mark faction’s earlier threat to defy INEC and proceed with an April 14 national convention in Abuja, there was no evidence of preparation for the event as of Saturday.
Abdullahi did not respond to telephone calls and messages on the issue.
State congresses, which are supposed to precede the national convention, have stalled in many states due to struggles for control of party structures.
In Sokoto State, ADC Secretary Yusuf Alkali announced the suspension of the congress, citing INEC directives. But 24 hours later, Bello Isyaka claimed congresses were successfully conducted across all 244 wards in the state — a contradictory claim that illustrates the chaos within the party.
In Edo State, the ADC faction loyal to Senator Roland Owie elected Dr. Mike Ehima as state chairman, while those loyal to National Leader Chief John Odigie-Oyegun stayed away. Senator Owie accused Oyegun of adopting a different chairman from the party’s national office. Oyegun declined to comment directly, saying only the appointed congress officer could speak on the matter.
In the most significant institutional intervention in the crisis, the Nigerian Bar Association issued a strongly worded statement warning judges and lawyers against being drawn into political party disputes.
NBA President Afam Osigwe SAN expressed concern about what he described as a growing practice where courts act in contravention of the Electoral Act 2026, which in Section 83 precludes courts from jurisdiction over cases pertaining to internal party affairs.
“What we now see are situations where actions are not only instituted in courts by lawyers in clear violation of the Act, but courts purportedly grant interim and interlocutory injunctions in clear contempt of statutory provisions of the law,” Osigwe stated.
The NBA threatened disciplinary action against lawyers who file such cases.
“We will not hesitate to present petitions before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee against any legal practitioner found to be engaging in such conduct. This will be pursued decisively to serve as a deterrent and to preserve the sanctity of the judicial process,” the NBA warned.
The association also called on the National Judicial Council to sanction any judge who “knowingly assumes jurisdiction in matters clearly barred by law, grants orders in respect of intra-party disputes in violation of statutory provisions, or lends the authority of the court to partisan political maneuvering.”
Addressing INEC directly, the NBA urged the commission to exercise its supervisory powers with “utmost neutrality, independence, and fidelity to democratic values.”
“The Chairman of INEC, being a distinguished Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is uniquely positioned to appreciate the constitutional implications of these developments. The Bar is closely watching the conduct of the commission,” Osigwe stated.
Meanwhile, Gombe has continued to escalate his rhetoric, telling BBC Hausa that the ADC under his leadership would not field anyone above 55 years of age as candidates — a policy that would disqualify virtually every major politician currently associated with the party.
“It is time to show these elders, some of whom are between 75 and 90 years old, that the era of the youth has arrived,” Gombe stated.
He also ruled out honouring any invitation for reconciliation talks from the Mark faction, dismissed the new entrants as people who joined “through the window, not the door,” and threatened to expel them if he wins in court.
Both Nwosu and Gombe have denied allegations of receiving money in connection with the party’s crisis.
Nwosu dismissed the accusations as desperation by the Tinubu administration: “Anybody who knows me knows I am not a transactional politician.” He cited his refusal of money during the 2023 election cycle as proof.
Gombe said his concern was purely constitutional: “I am not driven by personal grievances or agendas. My concern stems from the apparent breach of our party’s constitution.”
The coming days represent the most consequential period in the ADC’s existence:
April 13 — Judgment in the Abejide suit before Justice Musa Liman, which could nullify Mark’s leadership.
April 14 — Hearing in the Gombe suit before Justice Emeka Nwite, where Mark’s faction is also seeking restoration of its names on INEC’s portal.
April 17 — Ruling on the amendment application in the deregistration suit before Justice Peter Lifu.
April 23 — Party primaries window opens.
With the party’s leadership unresolved, its names removed from INEC’s portal, state congresses stalled or disputed, convention plans collapsed, senior leaders exploring exit options with rival parties, the NBA warning judges against hearing party cases, and two rival chairmen refusing to talk — the ADC’s position as the primary opposition vehicle ahead of 2027 has never been more precarious.
The question confronting Nigeria’s opposition is no longer whether the ADC can challenge the APC in 2027, but whether the party itself will still exist in recognisable form by the time that question needs to be answered.
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