The African Democratic Congress (ADC) faction led by David Mark has expelled Nafiu Bala, the party's factional chairman, alongside five other members, including House of Representatives member Leke Abejide, over allegations of anti-party activities. The expulsions were approved during the party's national convention in Abuja on Tuesday through a voice vote, following a motion moved by Binos Yaroe, senator representing Adamawa South. Other members expelled were Kingsley Temitope, Obinna Norman, Kennedy Odiong, and Stella Chukwuma. Chinedu Idigo, the party's organising secretary, accused the dismissed members of deliberately creating internal divisions. "They have sown seeds of discord within the party and sought to create factions, doubts, and confusion across the polity, the public, and regulatory authorities, thereby causing instability within the party," Idigo said. He added that the individuals were given opportunities to reconsider their actions but did not comply. The rift within the ADC intensified in July 2025 when an opposition coalition assumed control of the party's leadership, prompting Bala to claim that David Mark's appointment as national chairman was unlawful. On April 1, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) withdrew recognition of the Mark-led faction due to an interim ruling by the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court is set to hear Mark's appeal on April 22.
The expulsion of Nafiu Bala and Leke Abejide is less about discipline and more about consolidating control within a party already fractured by competing legitimacy claims. David Mark's faction moving to oust Bala—the very figure challenging his authority—immediately after INEC's derecognition suggests a bid to present a unified front despite weakening institutional standing. The timing, just weeks before the Supreme Court hears Mark's appeal, indicates the expulsions may be a strategic maneuver to influence judicial perception of internal cohesion.
This episode reflects a broader trend in Nigerian opposition politics, where party stability often hinges on court rulings and elite negotiations rather than grassroots consensus. The ADC's fragmentation mirrors patterns seen in the PDP and even the APC, where rival factions weaponize party structures and electoral regulations to gain advantage. When internal disputes are resolved through expulsions rather than dialogue, it weakens party institutionalization and deepens public skepticism.
For African democracies, the ADC's turmoil underscores how legal and regulatory frameworks can be both a check and a tool for political power plays. While INEC's action temporarily stripped the Mark faction of recognition, the party's internal response reveals how authority is often reasserted through procedural exclusions rather than ideological renewal.
The April 22 Supreme Court hearing will determine not just the ADC's leadership, but whether factional expulsions carried out under contested authority hold any weight.
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