A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu, has said the party will press ahead with its planned congresses and national convention despite the internal leadership crisis affecting the party.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Nwosu stated that the ADC remains focused on its preparations for the 2027 general elections and will not allow the dispute to disrupt its timetable.
“We are taking the necessary action both in court and with INEC, but we will not allow INEC to derail any of our programmes. After that malicious INEC release, our chairman and the rest of us sat together and decided to move ahead,” he said.
He explained that the party had already submitted its schedule to INEC in line with legal requirements and received endorsement for the dates.
“We submitted our programme to INEC according to the law, and they endorsed it—all the dates were endorsed. By the electoral law, whether they show up or not is their own volition; we have not violated anything.
“The congresses have already started. Our national convention, slated for the 14th, will also go on, where we will validate everything we’ve done. We don’t want opportunists in the ADC; we want mission-driven leaders who have the courage to challenge a bad system,” Nwosu added.
He further said the party would continue notifying INEC about its programmes, including “our upcoming national convention to select our presidential and general candidates”.
“If they don’t accept it, we will publish it to all Nigerian media because they represent the people,” Nwosu said.
The remarks followed INEC’s decision not to recognise either the David Mark-led ADC executives or the faction headed by Nafiu Bala until the Federal High Court rules on the dispute. The commission also removed Mark’s name from its portal.
The crisis began after Nwosu resigned as ADC National Working Committee chairman in July 2025, paving the way for the Mark-led leadership after the opposition coalition adopted the party as its platform against the APC.
However, Bala, the former vice national chairman, argued that he should automatically succeed Nwosu and filed a case at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop the Mark-led faction from acting as party leaders.
Following a Court of Appeal ruling last month dismissing Mark’s appeal, INEC announced it would maintain the status quo ante bellum pending final judgment.
The ADC has strongly opposed INEC’s position, accusing the electoral body of bias and demanding the resignation of its chairman, Joash Amupitan.
At a protest in Abuja on Wednesday, senior ADC figures including Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Aminu Tambuwal and Rauf Aregbesola called for a reversal of the decision, alleging that the ruling APC is attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
Both INEC and the presidency have rejected the allegation, insisting that all registered parties remain free to contest the 2027 elections.