ADC crisis: Mark bloc holds grip on states

Despite a Federal High Court judgement nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress led by former Senate President David Mark, the faction has retained control of the party’s structures in several states, with its supporters insisting that the ruling will not stand.

Checks by The PUNCH across the states showed that while the Mark-led faction remained firmly in control in many states, the rival group led by Nafiu Bala Gombe was preparing to take over some state chapters, citing the November 5 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The judgment, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, nullified the emergence of Mark as the party’s National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary. It also invalidated decisions taken under their leadership, including the party’s presidential primary that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate for the 2027 election.

The Mark-led leadership has since appealed the judgment and applied for a stay of execution, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission to refrain from taking steps that could pre-empt the determination of the appeal.

Speaking on the development, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the ADC would participate in the 2027 general elections, but warned that candidates produced by the Mark faction, including Atiku Abubakar, might be excluded from the ballot.

Keyamo said the fate of the candidates would depend on the final determination of the party’s leadership dispute by the Supreme Court.

The minister made the clarification in a post on his verified X handle, @fkeyamo, on Sunday, following concerns that the recent Federal High Court judgment against the Mark-led leadership could jeopardise the ADC’s participation in the elections.

He argued that the court’s decision should not be interpreted as a ban on the party, insisting that the ADC remained eligible to field candidates through its recognised leadership structure.

“For the education of the public, those raising false alarm that the court judgment on ADC means the Party will not be on the ballot are spreading misinformation.

“The ADC will be on the ballot. It is the David Mark faction of candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, that may not be on the ballot, depending on the final judgment of the Supreme Court,” he said.

The judgment has triggered fresh political uncertainty within the ADC, particularly over the status of Atiku’s presidential nomination and the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

Reacting to protests and criticisms of the judgment, Keyamo questioned why the court’s decision was being portrayed as an attempt to prevent the ADC from participating in the elections.

He argued that the rights of candidates who emerged under the party’s original leadership structure should also be considered, insisting that they should not be sidelined in the dispute.

“Therefore, the question we must ask those raising hell is that, are those Nigerians who successfully won their primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?” he asked.

However, the ruling has triggered fresh political manoeuvring within the party, with rival groups in some states laying claim to its structures.

In Benue, Delta, Nasarawa, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Adamawa, Borno and Kano, among others, the Mark-led faction maintained that it remained in charge, dismissing the court ruling as temporary and insisting that its candidates and preparations for the 2027 elections remained valid.

In some of the states, party leaders said the leadership crisis had either been resolved or had not affected their structures, while others accused the ruling All Progressives Congress and government officials of sponsoring attempts to destabilise the opposition party.

However, the Gombe faction appeared to be making inroads in Zamfara and Abia, while its members in Edo declared their readiness to assume control of the state chapter as soon as they obtained the Certified True Copy of the judgment.

The situation in Jigawa was more complicated, with three camps laying claim to the party’s leadership, each insisting that it represented the authentic ADC structure.

In Zamfara, the chairman of the Gombe-led faction, Alhaji Kabiru Gusau, declared that he had taken over the party’s affairs following the judgment.

Speaking with PUNCH on Sunday, Gusau said he had assumed office as the substantive chairman of the ADC in the state.

“I have assumed office as substantive chairman of the ADC in Zamfara State,” he declared.

He added that he was holding a meeting with members of the state executive at the party’s headquarters in Gusau and promised to state the outcome.

Efforts to reach the chairman of the Mark faction in the state, Alhaji Shehu Maishanu, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to repeated telephone calls.

Similarly, in Edo State, the Gombe faction said it was preparing to take over the party structure, arguing that the court ruling had provided the legal backing for its claim.

The faction’s state chairman, Ken Odion, said the Mark-led group had been operating without constitutional authority.

He argued that the caretaker arrangement under which the Mark leadership operated was not recognised by the party’s constitution.

“They had no constitutional backing for their operation before now. When they were initially sacked, the governors that brought them were notified,” Odion said.

He added, “They started operating as a caretaker executive. I don’t know where that kind of arrangement exists in our constitution. We don’t have it in our party constitution. So, they were just operating illegally.”

Odion said his group was prepared to assume the leadership of the state chapter as soon as the certified true copy of the judgment became available.

“There is hope. As soon as the CTC is out, we will effect the changes. I know that from tomorrow, the group loyal to Gombe will have their inauguration and all of those changes will be effected,” he said.

However, the spokesman for the Mark-led faction dismissed the takeover plan, insisting that the rival group would not dislodge his faction from any state structure.

“Not in Edo. Not anywhere! Not in this dispensation, not ever!” he said in a message to PUNCH.

In Abia, the Gombe faction also claimed that the court judgment had established its authority over the state chapter.

The faction’s chairman, Don Obinna, rejected suggestions that the party was divided in the state, insisting that his group was the recognised leadership.

“We are not a faction,” he argued, noting that the court had nullified the congresses and conventions organised by the Mark leadership, thereby invalidating its structures.

“The court sacked David Mark and all the candidates. They were the ones sacked by the court. I am the one that the court recognises. I am the one that they have not sacked,” he insisted.

He added that the ruling had effectively restored his group’s authority in the state.

The state’s factional chairman, Kalu Agu, and its Publicity Secretary, Frances Ogbonnaya, could not be reached for comments.

In Jigawa, however, the leadership crisis has produced a complicated three-way contest, with the Mark and Gombe groups and another faction loyal to former presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu laying claim to the party structure.

The faction loyal to Mark, Sani Gumel, dismissed the court ruling as inconsequential, saying the group had appealed and filed an application for a stay of execution.

“This judgment cannot stand. We have appealed, and we have filed for stay of execution. As far as we are concerned, Senator David Mark remains our national chairman,” Gumel said.

He insisted that the party’s structures and candidates in the state remained intact, warning against attempts by any rival group to take over the party’s offices.

“Our structures in Jigawa are intact. Our candidates are intact. All our preparations for 2027 are on course. Nobody can take over our party through the backdoor,” he added.

Gumel said the party had notified INEC of the appeal and maintained that his faction was the only legitimate structure in the state.

“We are law-abiding; that is why we went to the Court of Appeal. INEC has been duly notified. No faction can take over Jigawa ADC because we are the only elected and recognised leadership in the state,” he said.

But another factional chairman, Kabiru Hussaini, said his group had no connection with the Gombe-led faction and aligned with Kachikwu’s leadership.

“We are not with the faction of Nafi’u Gombe. We belong to the leadership of the former presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, as our authentic party chairman,” Hussaini said.

He disclosed that the leadership dispute had split the party in the state into three camps, adding that his group had a pending case at the Supreme Court.

“We are awaiting judgment, and we are hoping for victory. We acknowledge that some of our members left us for Nafi’u due to reasons best known to them, but Nafi’u is never a leader and is an intruder used by the government, and we will resist,” he stated.

Hussaini further claimed that his group had secured favourable judgments in two courts, including the Court of Appeal, and was awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision.

He also said his faction had concluded its primaries and produced candidates for the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, a member of the Gombe faction in Jigawa, Shamsu Ibrahim, said the Federal High Court judgment had restored his group’s authority and cleared the way for it to assume control of the party’s structures.

“The court has spoken clearly. The Mark-led interim NWC is illegal. The judgment declared Nafiu Bala Gombe as the authentic national chairman. That means our leadership is now the lawful one, including in Jigawa,” Ibrahim said.

He insisted that the planned takeover would be done in line with the court’s decision rather than through force.

“We are not taking over by force; we are taking over by law. Justice Lifu nullified the 99th NEC meeting of July 27 and all congresses organised by the illegal leadership. Their candidates are null and void,” he said.

Ibrahim added that the faction had directed its state coordinators to assume office, alleging resistance from supporters of the Mark-led group.

“There is resistance from the pro-Mark group who are still parading themselves, but the law is on our side, and INEC must comply and replace their names on the portal,” he said.

As of Sunday, both camps were operating from separate rented offices in Dutse, with party members awaiting INEC’s decision after its examination of the certified true copy of the judgment.

In Sokoto State, the factional chairman aligned with the Gombe group, Faruk Umar, said his faction had no plans to take over the secretariat occupied by the Mark-led group.

Umar, who said his group had always operated independently from its own office, dismissed suggestions that it intended to dislodge the rival faction physically.

“We have no plan to take over their office. We have our own office, and we are operating from there,” he said.

He also disclosed that his faction would commence a state-wide campaign on Saturday, covering the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections.

The youth leader of the Mark-led faction in Sokoto, Muhammad Yakub, said the group would issue an official response after its legal department had examined the development.

Yakub said the national leadership had directed members not to engage in public exchanges capable of distracting them from their political activities.

In Benue, the Mark-led faction said it had resolved its earlier internal disagreements and was operating as a united party.

The former interim chairman, Tsegu Tsegba, who initially opposed the takeover of the party by the Mark-led group, said the crisis had been settled.

Speaking with PUNCH on Sunday, Tsegba disclosed that he was now the party’s senatorial candidate for the North-West senatorial district.

“Yes, the crisis has since been resolved. The party chairman of the state is Sam Ekwu, while I am now the senatorial candidate of our great party in the North-West senatorial district.’’

The state Publicity Secretary, Michael Inyaregh, also dismissed suggestions of factional divisions, saying the party remained united behind Mark.

“In Benue, we don’t have factions in ADC. The party is strong and united under David Mark,” he said.

The Nasarawa State chairman of the party, Paul Magaji, reaffirmed the chapter’s support for the Mark-led National Working Committee.

Magaji, who spoke with PUNCH in Lafia, urged party members to remain calm, expressing confidence that the legal dispute would eventually be resolved.

“David Mark is the chairman, as far as I am concerned. And there is no final superseding statement, whether from the courts or outside the courts against it,” Magaji said.

He added, “There is no superseding statement, except the Supreme Court says otherwise. Anything that will happen will depend on what the Supreme Court will say about it.”

In Kano, the state chairman, Musa Ungogo, said the chapter had joined other northern state chairmen in rejecting the judgment, describing it as an attempt to destabilise the opposition.

Ungogo said the chairmen held a virtual meeting on Saturday to deliberate on the court decision, which also affected the emergence of Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.

“We held a meeting on Saturday and condemned the court ruling. It lacks legitimacy,” he said.

Ungogo said the state chairmen planned to converge on Abuja to protest the ruling and explore further legal options.

“We will soon converge on Abuja to condemn the action. We will also write to the international court to stop the judge from hearing cases involving the party,” he said.

Ungogo claimed that he had personally been approached with an offer of N200m to join the rival faction, an allegation that could not be independently established.

“I personally know who is sponsoring him. The man called me and offered me N200m to join Nafiu and destabilise the party, but I declined,” he alleged.

In Delta State, the Mark-led faction dismissed concerns that the national leadership crisis would affect its structure, insisting that its activities remained normal.

The Publicity Secretary, Fred Akpevwe, said there was no attempt by members of the Gombe faction to take over the chapter, adding that the state leadership remained loyal to Mark.

“It is not something we are worried about. Above everything else, our activities are proceeding normally and according to plan. Nothing has changed,” he said.

Akpevwe also insisted that the state had only one recognised governorship candidate and one presidential candidate, dismissing suggestions that the chapter was factionalised.

“There is no faction of the ADC in Delta State. The question we should be asking is: How many governorship candidates do we have? We have one. How many governorship candidates are recognised by INEC? We have one,” he said.

He alleged that some individuals were being sponsored by the ruling party to create divisions within the ADC.

Imo State Chairman, Prof James Okoroma, described himself as a legacy chairman who was not installed by Mark, insisting that he had no reason to be intimidated by the rival faction.

Okoroma said the former Senate President did not make him chairman and questioned the relevance of the Gombe faction’s activities in the state.

“I’m tired of reacting. Who is Nafiu Gombe? I’m a legacy chairman, a founding member. I’m a professor; who is Gombe for me to react to his actions?” he said.

He alleged that the APC had attempted to induce state chairmen with N50m each to challenge Mark’s emergence as national chairman.

“Immediately David Mark became National Chairman, APC was approaching us that each state chairman should collect N50m so that we go to court against him. They want to turn us into an enterprise,” he alleged.

Okoroma also warned against actions capable of destabilising the country, saying the political crisis should not degenerate into violence.

In Borno State, the Publicity Secretary, Baba Mustapha, reaffirmed the chapter’s loyalty to the Mark-led faction, saying the recent judgment would not stop its campaign activities.

Mustapha said the group had obtained court permission to continue campaigning pending the determination of the legal dispute.

“After the lower court judgment pronouncement, we applied to the court to enable us to continue our campaigns, and that gave us the freedom to continue what we are doing all over the nation,” he said.

He insisted that only a final decision by the Supreme Court could settle the dispute.

“We belong to the David Mark camp in Borno. Their nullification cannot stand until it has been concluded up to the Supreme Court. So, for now, we will continue with our campaigns until something different has been established by the Court of Appeal. If it is against us, we will quickly amend, rush and go to the Supreme Court,” he said.

Ogun State Chairman, Otunba Olufemi Soluade, pointed out that the national leadership dispute had not affected the party’s structure in the state.

He maintained that there was no recognised Gombe faction in Ogun, adding that his executive remained in control.

“The last time I checked, we do not have any recognised Gombe faction in Ogun State. As far as I know, the authentic executive in the state belongs to my leadership, and there is no contention by virtue of the court judgment that recognises the 36 state chairmen, which has nothing to do with the Gombe leadership struggle,” he said.

Soluade said the chapter had inaugurated its campaign council on November 5 and was preparing to commence its activities.

The ADC in Oyo dismissed suggestions that the Gombe faction could take over the chapter.

“No. They can’t take over anywhere,’’ the party’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Rotimi Johnson, stated.

The Osun State Publicity Secretary, Oluwaseun Abosede, noted that the influence of former governor Rauf Aregbesola had made it difficult for another faction to establish itself.

“No factions in Osun ADC. The leadership that is recognised nationally is in charge. The influence of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the Osun political system has made it difficult for anyone to create a faction of ADC in the state,” he said.

In Ekiti State, former Deputy Governor and ADC leader, Prof Kolapo Olusola, said the chapter remained aligned with the Mark-led leadership and was confident that the appellate court would overturn the judgment.

‘’ADC in Ekiti State is not existing in isolation. Our national leadership has appealed the judgment, and we align ourselves with every decision the national leadership has taken.”

Despite the uncertainty, the party held a road walk in Ado-Ekiti on Friday to canvass support for Atiku and its senatorial candidate, Victor Akinyemi.

In Ondo State, the pro-Mark faction’s Publicity Secretary, Olurotimi Eniola, described the judgment as an attempt to distract the party from its campaign activities.

“The judgment can’t hold water. They want to use it to distract us, but it can’t. We are going on with our campaign. We can’t be distracted, and we are winning the election,” he said.

In Adamawa State, the chairman, Sadiq Dasin, contended that the appeal and application for a stay of execution had rendered the judgment ineffective.

“With the appeal filed by my party and stay of execution, the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu is no longer effective; it has been rendered impotent,” he said.

He added that Mark and other party leaders, as well as candidates produced under the leadership, remained validly nominated pending the determination of the appeal.

The two ADC factions in Bauchi State distanced themselves from the feuding leaders.

Muhammad Kawu, the chairman of the Bashir Abdulkadir-led faction, affirmed that his group had no affiliation with either the Gombe or Mark-led factions, disclosing that it had a pending case at the Supreme Court against the Mark faction.

Similarly, the Public Relations Officer of the Mark-led faction, Saleh Muhammad, said his group was unaware of the existence of the Gombe faction in the state.

“We have never heard of the existence of the Nafi’u Gombe faction,” he said. ‘’We are in the state office, and we own the valid structure. Nobody has ever approached our office for a takeover,” he added.

Meanwhile, the ADC Presidential Campaign Council has accused the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress of seeking to frustrate the opposition through the court judgment.

The Director-General of the campaign council, Senator Austin Akobundu, said the turnout at the party’s rallies in Sokoto and Kebbi states demonstrated Nigerians’ appetite for political change ahead of the 2027 elections.

He urged the ruling party to test its popularity through a credible election rather than allegedly resorting to legal and political manoeuvres to weaken the opposition.

“If the Federal Government and the APC believe they have the capacity to win, let them allow a free and fair election. Let Nigerians choose without intimidation, obstruction or interference. They must stop trying to muzzle the political space and using a backdoor court process to remove us from the contest,” Akobundu said.

He said the party would continue its campaign activities despite the legal dispute, urging supporters to remain calm and committed to peaceful political engagement.

“Nigerians must be free to hear competing ideas, attend political events and choose their leaders without intimidation or interference. The ballot must remain the people’s choice, and every party must be allowed to campaign freely,” he added.