The internal crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a sharper turn, with a newly emerged faction asserting itself as the party’s legitimate leadership and repudiating rival blocs laying claim to its structure.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the group, led by Don Norman Obinna, announced that it represents the duly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party. In a sweeping declaration, the faction distanced itself from both the opposition coalition associated with Senator David Mark and the camp linked to Nafiu Bala.
The Obinna-led leadership anchored its claim on what it described as the expiration of the tenure of former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, in August 2022. It accused Nwosu of unlawfully retaining control of the party beyond his mandate, a move it said triggered a series of legal disputes that have since fractured the party’s structure.
Particularly contentious is Nwosu’s reported handover of party machinery to the David Mark-led coalition — an action the faction firmly denounced as unconstitutional and without legal standing.
“The purported transfer of authority was an illegal act,” the group declared, insisting that those currently parading themselves under the coalition banner lack both membership status and the authority to act on behalf of the ADC.
In a set of far-reaching resolutions, the faction formally disassociated itself from Senator Mark and his allies, maintaining that they neither belong to the party nor possess any legitimate claim to its leadership.
It also dismissed Nafiu Bala’s position within the party hierarchy, asserting that he never held the office of National Vice Chairman as widely claimed.
Amid the leadership tussle, the group reaffirmed the standing of the party’s former presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, describing him as a bona fide member whose loyalty to the ADC remains intact.
In a move aimed at consolidating its authority, the faction announced the appointment of interim officials to oversee the party’s affairs pending the convening of a national convention.
The latest development underscores the deepening fragmentation within the ADC, raising fresh questions about its cohesion and capacity to function as a credible political platform ahead of future electoral contests
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