WorldStage– The leadership crisis in one of the Nigeria’s opposition parties, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) escalated on Friday, April 17, 2026, with the faction led by Nafiu Bala and House of Representatives member Leke Abejide formally rejecting their expulsion.
Addressing a world press conference in Abuja, the Bala-led faction declared their expulsion illegal and a product of a hijacked structure.
The crisis stems from the 2025 resignation of former Chairman Ralph Nwosu and the subsequent appointment of David Mark by an opposition coalition, including figures like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
Nafiu Bala argued that those who announced the expulsion are not recognized members of the ADC and therefore lack the legal authority (locus) to take such a decision.
The faction claimed the National Convention, held April 14, 2026, where the expulsion was ratified was illegal and violated a March 12, 2026, Court of Appeal judgment.
They dismissed allegations of being sponsored by President Bola Tinubu as propaganda.
The rival faction, led by former Senate President, David Mark, announced the expulsion of several high-ranking members during its Abuja convention, including Nafiu Bala, a factional National Chairman and former Deputy National Chairman.
Other members of Bala’s faction whose expulsion was announced are Leke Abejide (National Leader and current member of the House of Representatives), Kingsley Temitope Ogga (associated with an interim caretaker committee), Stella Chukwuma, Don Norman Obinna, Kennedy Odion, and Elias Adiukwu.
The National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) had on April 15, 2026, withdrew recognition from both the Mark and Bala leadership structures, citing ongoing legal battles.
The party is currently split into three main groups: the Mark-led coalition, the Bala-led wing, and a NEC-backed group aligned with 2023 presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu.
