Factional National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala, has distanced himself from the appointments of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as interim leaders of the party, describing the process that produced them as unconstitutional.
Bala confirmed that he attended a July 2025 event where the two were unveiled but said his presence should not be interpreted as endorsement of their emergence. He stated that the development violated provisions of the party’s constitution.
The ADC has been embroiled in a leadership crisis since July 2025, with factions loyal to Bala and Mark laying claim to the party’s national leadership. The dispute has further deepened internal divisions within the party ahead of future political activities.
Bala said the July 2025 meeting was originally convened to adopt the ADC as a coalition platform. However, he alleged that the then National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, unexpectedly announced his resignation and proceeded to appoint Mark and Aregbesola as acting national chairman and national secretary, respectively.
According to Bala, the appointments contravened Articles 8(2) and 9(4) of the ADC Constitution (2022, as amended), which do not empower an outgoing chairman to appoint successors without due process or a formal vote by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). He added that many committee members were surprised by the development.
He also disclosed that the then National Secretary, Sa’id Baba Abdullahi, resigned shortly after the incident under circumstances that were not formally communicated to party officials.
Bala said his clarification followed the circulation of videos on social media suggesting he supported the interim leadership arrangement. He maintained that his participation in earlier engagements with coalition partners between April 2024 and July 2025 should not be interpreted as endorsement of what he described as irregular appointments.
The leadership dispute drew the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which later withdrew recognition from the rival factions following a ruling by the Court of Appeal.
