… Presidency, APC accuse opposition party of fuelling conspiracy theories over leadership crisis
The leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) intensified on Friday as Nafiu Bala, a factional leader of the party, denied resigning his position, insisting that a document circulating online claiming he stepped down was forged.
The development comes amid a deepening dispute between rival camps within the party, led by Bala and former Senate President David Mark, which has already prompted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw recognition from both factions pending the resolution of ongoing litigation.
INEC rejects allegation of partisanship
INEC National Chairman, Joash Amupitan, has dismissed claims by the Mark-led faction that the commission was acting in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, Amupitan said the commission’s actions were guided strictly by court orders and the need to avoid actions that could complicate the legal dispute over the party’s leadership.
“If the David Mark faction of the ADC are saying that INEC has taken sides, it is not true,” he said.
He explained that the commission was compelled to examine complaints from all sides after learning that one faction planned to hold a congress while a court order was still in force.
“Given the fact that they are informing me that they are going to hold their congress on the 9th of April, and the Court of Appeal said ‘don’t do anything that will affect the subject matter of the pending case in the Federal High Court until it is decided,’ we felt it would be necessary to look at the complaints of all the parties,” Amupitan said.
According to him, the commission’s position was also informed by past experiences where elections were invalidated by the courts due to unresolved internal party disputes.
“We don’t want to conduct an election without this early warning, and at the end of the day, after you have won, the court will again come and declare the election invalid,” he added.
Bala rejects resignation claim
Meanwhile, Bala has insisted he never resigned from his position as deputy national chairman of the party, describing the purported resignation letter dated May 17, 2025, as fake.
In a video message published by Rariya Hausa, Bala said the document circulating online did not originate from him.
“My name is Hon. Nafiu Bala, the ADC acting national chairman,” he said.
“I would like to use this opportunity to address a document currently circulating which claims that I resigned from my position as national vice chairman on May 17th. I wish to state that this paper did not come from me, and that is not my signature on it. The signature you see there was forged.”
Bala said his emergence as acting national chairman followed the resignation of the party’s former leadership, including its national chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
According to him, the announcement was made publicly during a political event held on July 2 where some political figures signalled their intention to join the party.
“On that day, the former ADC chairman, Ralph Nwosu, announced that he, his secretary and other party leaders were stepping down from their positions,” Bala said.
“He also told the world that I, along with others, would continue to run the affairs of the party until the national convention.”
Bala argued that under the party’s constitution, he automatically assumed leadership after the leadership vacuum created by the resignations.
“Because of that, I am resuming office today as the ADC national chairman. According to our party constitution, when there is no leader, the deputy takes over,” he said.
He added that any resignation letter from him would have been issued on his official letterhead.
“When I was deputy national chairman, if I were to write a resignation letter, I would do it using my official letterhead. Any letter not containing my letterhead is not from me,” he said.
Dispute moves to the courts
The disagreement over Bala’s alleged resignation has become a central issue in the party’s leadership tussle.
David Mark had earlier insisted that Bala resigned his position in May 2025 and that the letter was forwarded to INEC in August of the same year.
Mark also claimed that despite resigning, Bala later approached the courts seeking recognition as the party’s chairman.
On September 2, 2025, Bala filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to restrain Mark and his allies from presenting themselves as leaders of the party.
He also asked the court to compel INEC to recognise him as acting national chairman and to halt party meetings, congresses and conventions until the case is resolved.
Although Mark challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear the matter, the Court of Appeal on March 12, 2026 dismissed his appeal, ruling that it lacked merit.
Following the appellate court decision, INEC reviewed the judgment and subsequently announced that it would suspend recognition of both factions pending the final determination of the dispute.
APC blames ADC for crisis
Reacting to the controversy, the ruling APC said the crisis within the ADC was self-inflicted and accused the party of spreading conspiracy theories.
In a statement, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said the opposition party was responsible for its internal troubles.
“Quite apart from being an assembly of Nigeria’s most confused and desperate politicians, the African Democratic Congress has distinguished itself as a peddler of rabid conspiracy theories,” Morka said.
He alleged that the crisis began when leaders of one faction attempted to seize control of the party in violation of its constitution.
“When its factional leadership under the duo of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola parachuted into the party like thoughtless and planless commandos and hijacked the party in violent violation of its constitutional stipulations regarding leadership succession, the ADC set its own date with destiny,” he said.
Morka added that INEC’s decision to de-recognise the Mark-led executives was lawful and justified.
“A party that cannot fix itself cannot possibly fix Nigeria,” he said.
Presidency also responds
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga also criticised the ADC for dragging President Bola Tinubu into the crisis.
In a post on X, Onanuga said the opposition party should take responsibility for its internal disagreements instead of blaming the presidency and INEC.
According to him, the situation has been complicated by differing interpretations of the legal principle of status quo ante bellum cited in the Court of Appeal ruling.
He explained that the phrase means restoring the situation to the state it was before the dispute began.
Onanuga added that Bala has maintained that he never resigned as vice-chairman and should automatically assume the chairmanship following the resignation of the party’s former leadership.
“The ADC should stop blaming President Tinubu and INEC for its self-inflicted woes,” he said.
The ongoing dispute has left the ADC without an officially recognised leadership, further deepening uncertainty within the opposition party as political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections continue to take shape.