THE leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress has taken a dramatic turn, with rival factions escalating their battle for control of the party to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
News Point Nigeria Sunday reports that at the centre of the dispute is a faction led by Nafiu Bala, which is seeking to assume leadership of the party and has formally written to INEC, urging the commission to withdraw recognition from former Senate President David Mark and ex-Minister Rauf Aregbesola as National Chairman and Secretary of the party, respectively.
The move follows a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal, which dismissed an appeal filed by Mark against an earlier decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The dispute dates back to internal disagreements within the party following the resignation of former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu. Bala, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, has consistently maintained that he should have assumed the position of national chairman in line with party structures.
However, in September 2025, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court rejected an ex parte motion filed by Bala, in which he sought an order directing INEC to derecognise Mark and Aregbesola. Instead, the court ordered both men to show cause why such an injunction should not be granted.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Mark approached the appellate court, filing a notice of appeal on September 18, 2025, challenging the decision on grounds including lack of jurisdiction. But in a unanimous judgment delivered on Tuesday, the appellate court dismissed the appeal, describing it as procedurally incompetent.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, ruled that the appeal was filed against an interlocutory directive without the required leave of court.
Importantly, the court directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the substantive suit before the Federal High Court.
Following the appellate court’s pronouncement, Bala’s camp moved swiftly to press its claim.
In a letter dated March 16 and addressed to INEC through his counsel, Robert Emukpoeruo (SAN), Bala urged the electoral body to recognise him as the rightful national chairman of the party.
Citing the appellate court’s directive, Emukpoeruo argued that INEC must uphold the order by refraining from recognising the current leadership led by Mark and Aregbesola.
He quoted the court’s position that parties must maintain the status quo and avoid any action capable of creating a fait accompli or undermining the ongoing proceedings at the trial court.
Bala also appealed to party members to remain calm and law-abiding, stressing the need for unity and adherence to due process as the crisis unfolds.
However, the push by Bala has met stiff resistance from another legal camp.
A senior advocate, Sulaimon Usman (SAN), of Gamzaki Law Chambers, also wrote to INEC, advising the commission to reject Bala’s request.
In his letter dated March 16, 2026, Usman argued that it would be legally inappropriate for INEC to recognise any new leadership while the matter remains pending before the Federal High Court.
He maintained that the existing leadership structure, which emerged from a National Executive Committee meeting monitored by INEC in July 2025, remains valid until a final judicial determination is made.
According to him, acting otherwise would violate principles of constitutional order, judicial discipline, and administrative prudence.
Meanwhile, the crisis has taken a political dimension, with allegations emerging that external forces may be influencing the situation.
A party figure, Abdullahi, alleged that elements within the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress were exerting pressure on INEC to deregister the Mark-led leadership.
According to him, the alleged strategy is to weaken the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections by preventing it from fielding a presidential candidate.
He claimed that opposition leaders could be trapped within the ADC before a last-minute deregistration, thereby limiting their ability to contest under another platform.
The allegation also suggested that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was seeking to avoid a competitive election against prominent opposition figures.
Reacting to the claims, the National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru, dismissed the allegations as baseless and irresponsible.
Basiru insisted that neither the Presidency nor the APC had any involvement in the internal crisis of the ADC, stressing that the matter remains a legal dispute between party members.
“The Presidency and the APC are not parties to the suit in court,” he said. “It was David Mark who went to the Court of Appeal, and the court directed that the status quo be maintained.”
He criticised the ADC for making what he described as “wild allegations,” urging the party to respect the court’s decision rather than attempting to draw external actors into its internal disputes.
Basiru further warned that INEC must not be pressured into taking actions that would violate the subsisting court order, noting that any party dissatisfied with the ruling should approach the Supreme Court.
“Any respectable organisation like INEC cannot be gaslighted into disobeying the order of the Court of Appeal,” he added.