A new faction within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has emerged, rejecting the leadership of the Senator David Mark-led coalition and distancing itself from Nafiu Bala’s faction.
Obinna spoke on behalf of NEC members in response to INEC’s delisting of the David Mark-led leadership, saying, “Ignorance is not only a disease, but also a crime.”
“We have watched with amusement how a few Nigerians with no real understanding of issues concerning our party, the ADC, have jumped in with emotions devoid of reasoning and understanding.
“We therefore wish to correct a lot of misinformation out there in the public domain. But before doing this, we want to say we are in total support of INEC’s position on this matter and commend them on their bravery in finally doing what is right.”
Obinna noted that the faction arose from an emergency NEC meeting held on April 7, 2026. The meeting resolved to formally dissociate the ADC from David Mark and his coalition, asserting that “all actions taken by them in the name of the ADC are not binding on the ADC.”
The faction also explained the status of Nafiu Bala, noting that he “has never held the position of Deputy Chairman of the ADC,” and reaffirmed that former ADC presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu “is a committed and bona fide member of the party, whose supposed expulsion by the David Mark group was an act of desperation taken too far.”
Obinna stressed that the ADC remains a party “of and for all Nigerians, and not just for former political office holders and the elites,” adding that “the ADC is also not for sale.”
He also accused individuals who claimed to constitute the coalition of having “no democratic credentials and are only interested in the power grab, as evidenced by the way and manner in which they attempted to hijack our party and throw out the original members.”
The new faction stated that new temporary leaders have been appointed to run the party’s day-to-day operations until a new national working committee is elected at the upcoming convention.
Obinna asked INEC “to accord them the necessary recognitions and support in order to save the African Democratic Congress from total collapse.”
The development comes amid an ongoing leadership crisis in the ADC, with competing factions vying for control of the party.
The Independent National Electoral Commission recently revoked recognition of the party’s leadership under former Senate President David Mark.
INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, announced the decision on April 1, citing a court order directing the commission to maintain the status quo pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging Mark’s leadership.
The commission removed Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from its website and indicated that it would not recognize Nafiu Bala of Gombe, who had petitioned the court to be declared national chairman.
Haruna explained that the commission had received contradictory legal demands from opposing camps, including a cautionary letter from Suleiman Usman SAN & Co. advising against recognizing Bala and a counter-letter from Summit Law Chambers requesting enforcement of the Court of Appeal’s decision affirming Bala’s position.
