The ongoing leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been attributed to internal betrayal, disagreements, and external interference, according to Senator Ishaku Abbo, who represents Adamawa North.
The situation escalated on Wednesday when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) withdrew recognition from the rival factions led by former Senate President David Mark and Nafiu Bala.
In a statement signed by National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, INEC cited a Court of Appeal judgment from March 12 and said it would not engage with either faction pending the outcome of a case before a Federal High Court. The commission also announced it would not attend any meetings, congresses, or conventions organized by the groups.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Senator Abbo traced the root of the crisis to events following the resignation of Bala and the previous National Working Committee (NWC), which had paved the way for a new leadership under David Mark.
“If you check the picture below, the man sitting before me is Nafiu Bala. He was at the Yar’Adua Centre clapping and cheering as David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola took over as national chairman and secretary respectively,” Abbo wrote.
According to the senator, an agreement was reached to distribute party positions across geopolitical zones to integrate members of the old party structure into the expanded ADC. As part of that deal, Bala was to be appointed National Vice-Chairman for the North-East—a role Abbo noted was lower than Bala’s previous position as Deputy National Chairman.
However, Abbo alleged that the Mark-led leadership reneged on the agreement. Instead of giving Bala the North-East vice-chairmanship, the new NWC installed Babachir David Lawal in that position. Bala was offered an alternative role—Zonal Financial Secretary—which he rejected. “At this point, he started plotting how to bring the whole roof down,” Abbo claimed.
The senator further alleged that unnamed political actors, including a serving governor and a former minister, have been sponsoring legal actions against the party. He urged Bala to withdraw his case from court and work toward party unity. Abbo also called on INEC to reverse its decision, warning of potential consequences if the crisis persists.
