A dispute over the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has deepened significantly, with sources indicating that senior figures within the party have opened talks with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a contingency option ahead of the 2027 general elections.
At the centre of the crisis is Nafiu Bala Gombe, who served as ADC Deputy National Chairman. Gombe is currently engaged in legal proceedings seeking recognition as the party’s National Chairman, a claim the ADC’s current leadership strongly contests.
According to documents cited, Gombe submitted a resignation letter from his position as Deputy National Chairman on May 17, 2025, stating his intention to “make way for a smooth and effective coalition and restructuring.”
The party subsequently notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which acknowledged receipt of the notification.
On July 29, 2025, the ADC held a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the Chelsea Hotel, Abuja, monitored by INEC officials.
At that meeting, Senator David Mark was ratified as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary. INEC subsequently updated its records to reflect the new leadership.
Gombe, whose name appears on the attendance register of that meeting, later filed proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking recognition as ADC Chairman.
His legal team has argued that the resignation letter attributed to him was forged, a claim the party disputes, pointing to what it describes as consistent spelling patterns across Gombe’s own public communications over several years.
No criminal complaint or police petition regarding the alleged forgery has been publicly filed to date.
INEC’s position in the matter has drawn scrutiny from both sides. Having deployed monitors to the July 2025 NEC meeting and initially recognised the Mark-Aregbesola leadership, the Commission subsequently issued a statement in April 2026 suspending that recognition, citing a Court of Appeal preservation order obtained by Gombe’s legal representatives.
INEC has also filed an affidavit in court arguing that injunctions cannot apply to completed acts and that party leadership disputes fall outside the scope of judicial interference, citing Supreme Court precedents.
The apparent inconsistency between INEC’s earlier recognition of the new leadership and its subsequent suspension of that recognition has been noted by observers and raised questions that neither the commission nor the courts have yet publicly resolved.
Multiple sources familiar with internal ADC discussions told Saturday Sun that senior party figures have begun exploratory conversations with the NDC, describing the talks as a practical contingency rather than an ideological shift.
“Nobody wants to leave,” one source said, “but nobody is going to sit and watch everything get destroyed.” The sources indicated the discussions have reached an advanced stage.
The NDC’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, has publicly positioned his party as a platform for politicians affected by the instability in other parties.
