On April 1, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) withdrew recognition from two rival factions of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing a Court of Appeal judgment on internal party disputes. The move sparked initial skepticism due to the April Fools' Day timing, but INEC confirmed the decision was legitimate. One faction, aligned with former Senate President David Mark, rejected the ruling, accusing the commission of misreading the court's verdict. At the heart of the conflict is Nafiu Bala, who now claims leadership of the party as national chairman. Bala was initially presented in July 2025 at the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja as deputy national chairman for intergovernmental affairs under the Mark-led interim leadership, with Lauretta Onochie introducing him. Party founder Ralph Nwosu announced at the event that the national executive council and national working committee had stepped down. Bala was listed among those who resigned, but he later denied resigning and declared himself national chairman at a separate Abuja briefing. He claimed the Mark faction's emergence violated the party's constitution and filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2025, seeking to block the rival group from acting as leaders. The Court of Appeal in March 2026 dismissed an appeal by the Mark faction challenging the lower court's jurisdiction, with Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam stating the appeal lacked merit. The court ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending trial. Bala previously served as national secretary of the Democratic Peoples Party and denied an alliance with the PDP in 2018. He joined the ADC in 2022, became its Gombe State governorship candidate, and challenged the election result up to the Supreme Court. Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have been linked to the ADC as potential coalition partners.
Nafiu Bala's sudden assertion of authority as ADC national chairman exposes the fragility of opposition party structures when institutional loyalty is overshadowed by personal ambition. His reversal from being introduced as a deputy under David Mark's interim leadership to outright rejection of that same structure weeks later reveals a pattern of strategic positioning rather than ideological consistency. The fact that Bala was publicly named in July 2025 as part of the Mark-aligned team, only to later claim he never resigned, undermines his credibility and suggests political maneuvering driven more by opportunity than principle.
The protracted legal tussle, including the Court of Appeal's dismissal of the Mark faction's jurisdictional challenge in March 2026, underscores how Nigerian political disputes are increasingly outsourced to the judiciary, often without resolution. Bala's 2025 lawsuit sought to freeze rival claims, yet the absence of a final judgment leaves the party in limbo. This uncertainty benefits no one except those who thrive in chaos. The ADC, once seen as a potential home for opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, now risks becoming irrelevant as internal squabbles overshadow policy or national appeal.
Ordinary Nigerians who seek viable alternatives to the dominant parties are the real losers in this drama. Voters in Gombe State, where Bala contested the 2023 governorship election, placed faith in the ADC as a credible platform, only to see its leadership unravel in courtrooms and press briefings. The party's inability to maintain internal order weakens public trust in smaller parties altogether.
This episode fits a broader pattern in Nigerian politics: the collapse of institutional memory and process in favor of personality-driven contests. From defections to court battles, the ADC's crisis mirrors what has played out in the PDP, APC, and others—where structures exist only until someone decides they no longer serve their ascent.
