A broken agreement to appoint Nafiu Bala as Deputy National Vice Chairman for the North East has been identified as the real trigger for the deepening leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo has alleged.
In a pointed press conference and detailed statement, the former Adamawa North senator claimed that ADC leaders had promised the position to Bala – who had resigned as Deputy National Chairman along with the entire National Working Committee (NWC) – to smoothly pave the way for the new leadership under Senator David Mark.
Instead, the post was handed to former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, on the grounds that Nafiu Bala was “too young” for the role, Abbo said.
Quoting Lawal’s alleged remarks, Abbo accused him of asking: “How can a small boy like Nafiu Bala become National Vice Chairman in a zone that has a former Vice President and former SGF?”
The senator described the move as a clear betrayal of a signed agreement, arguing that self-interest and failure to honour deals by some leaders in the opposition coalition lie at the root of the ongoing turmoil threatening the party’s unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
Bala and other NWC members had stepped down to allow the Mark-led team to take over as part of efforts to strengthen the ADC as a platform for a broad opposition alliance that includes figures like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
The fallout has since escalated, with disputes over party structures, factional control and recent decisions by Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, further complicating the situation.
Abbo warned that such internal betrayals risk undermining the opposition’s chances of mounting a credible challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and could have wider implications for Nigeria’s democracy.
Neither Senator David Mark, Babachir Lawal nor other ADC leaders have issued an immediate response to Abbo’s claims.
The African Democratic Congress has been at the centre of intense political manoeuvring as various opposition groups seek to consolidate ahead of future polls, but analysts say persistent internal wrangling could weaken its prospects.
