The leadership tussle within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has escalated, with the faction led by Nafiu Bala rejecting the national ‘Suya’ convention organised by the camp of David Mark, declaring it null and void. The Mark-led faction had earlier held its national convention in Abuja, where it announced the……
The leadership tussle within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has escalated, with the faction led by Nafiu Bala rejecting the national ‘Suya’ convention organised by the camp of David Mark, declaring it null and void.
The Mark-led faction had earlier held its national convention in Abuja, where it announced the expulsion of Bala and Leke Abejide, who represents Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State.
However, addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Bala and Abejide dismissed the exercise as unlawful, accusing the organisers of violating the Electoral Act 2026 and the 1999 Constitution.
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Leke said: “the Suya Convention that ADC coalition held on 14th April, 2026 at an Event Center in Abuja is null and void as it is against the law of the Land both Electoral Act 2026 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
“There is an existing Court Order from the Federal High Court and the Supreme Court, respectively, that they should not do anything pending the determination of the case in Court, especially the Supreme Court, but to everybody’s amazement, these people flagrantly disobeyed the Court and went and gathered in a place to hold an illegal Convention.
“This attitude is treasonable and it is an afront against the Judiciary, of which many of them have once been beneficiaries! However, it is not surprising that these crops of politicians are not progressing and not in progressive, this is evident in abandoned PDP Secretariat uncompleted despite decades in governance.
“On the purported suspension of me, RT Hon Leke Abejide and Hon Nafiu Bala Gombe from ADC, I see it as a laughable phenomenon from an illegal group of people who came to destroy African Democratic Party same way they destroyed all the political parties they exited from.”
He further defended his loyalty to the party while criticising members of the opposing camp.
“I am not a political merchant running from one party to another party. I have been in ADC since 2017 and never changed party but many of the coalition leaders have moved from PDP to ACN to APC back to PDP to APGA to LABOUR PARTY to NPP to ADC, and so on. Our resistance in resisting them is because of their habitual character of Political use and dump.
“My so-called suspension and that of Hon Nafiu Bala Gombe is contempt of courts Orders of both Court of Appeal and Federal High Court and as such I have briefed my Lawyers on possible litigation against their purported suspension for record purpose, which is a visitation of hostility on me while my case is in Court,” he added.
On his part, Bala argued that any action taken in disregard of a subsisting court judgment lacks legal standing and is liable to be nullified.
He maintained that the absence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the convention further undermines its legitimacy.
“Their conduct is not unexpected, as those individuals have a documented history of contempt for the rule of law, evidenced by the manner in which they purportedly joined the party several months ago in clear violation of the party’s Constitution.
“As far as the duly constituted and legitimate leadership of the party is concerned, the coalition group are not members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Consequently, they lack the requisite locus standi to convene or conduct any congresses or conventions, and any resolutions or decisions emanating from such gatherings are devoid of legal effect and cannot pass the test of legality,” Bala added.
