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• State chairmen disown Mark-led NWC, reject planned convention
From Adetutu Folasade-Koyi, Abuja
The crisis in the All Democratic Congress (ADC) deepened, yesterday, as 25 state chairmen announced that they have seized control and subsequently announced an interim committee to oversee its affairs.
The ADC state chairmen insisted that the party has no faction and backed the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC).
Led by the Abia State Chairman, Don Norman Obinna, the ADC state chairmen dissociated the party from the suspended David Mark-led NWC and also denounced factional chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, as an official of the party.
The chairmen told newsmen at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, that their action was based on the party’s constitution.
They insisted their former national chairman,Ralph Nwosu, had no legitimate authority to hand over the party to “a coalition” as his tenure had ended in August 2022. On Gombe, they reiterated that he was never a national vice chairman of the party.
Subsequently, eight members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), who are also state chairmen, were named to run the party and organise a national convention.
Chairman—Ogga Temitope Kingsley (Kogi); Secretary—Odion Kennedy (Edo), Deputy Chairman—Muhamma Khala Jidda (Borno); Assistant Secretary—Kabiru Hussaini (Jigawa); National Organising Secretary—Dr. Charles Idowu Omidiji (Osun); Deputy Organising—Johnny Tovi Derek (Bayelsa); Treasurer-Stella Chukwu (Enugu) and Publicity Secretary—Don Norman Obinna.
“The following members have been appointed to manage the day-to-day affairs of the party, pending the election of a new NWC…We urge INEC to accord them the necessary recognition and support…and save the ADC from total collapse. This is just for three weeks until we have the convention. We will be sending correspondence to INEC on this and let Nigerians know,” Obinna said.
He addressed newsmen, in company with his colleagues from Bayelsa, Kogi, Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Enugu, Abuja, Anambra and Akwa Ibom. Others include state chairmen from Niger, Ondo, Kwara, Oyo, Benue, Delta, Plateau, Nasarawa, Cross River and Borno.
Earlier, Obinna told newsmen that Nwosu was the architect of the party’s woes and and that since the party’s NEC, with state chairmen as members, and their tenure still subsisting, they have taken control of the party
“This is in reaction to INEC’s delisting of the David Mark-led ADC Ignorance is not only a disease but also a crime. We have watched with amusement how they fool Nigerians with no real understanding of issues concerning out party
“We, therefore, wish to correct a lot of misinformation out there, in the public domain… We are in total support of INEC’s decision on matter and commend them on their bravery in finally doing what is right.
“Here are the facts of the matter for proper understanding: The tenure of our former chairman, Ralph Nwosu, ended in August 2022. Nwosu’s refusal to step down as chairman led to a series of litigation with Justice (Binta) Nyako, ruling in 2022, that Nwosu’s tenure had, indeed, expired and that any action taken by him and his NWC, after the expiration were null and void.
“One of the illegal actions taken by Nwosu was the convening of the convention in Zaria, Kaduna State in October of 2022 where he re-appointed himself and the likes of Nafiu (Bala) Gombe as a member the NWC of the party. But, INEC rejected that convention.
“This matter subsequently went all the way to the Supreme Court when the group now known and referred to as the David Mark-led coalition transacted with Nwosu.
“Prior to this, INEC received several communications from the NEC of the party, from August 2022 but curiously, they refused to act, even on valid court orders.
“Now, Nwosu suspended eight chairmen and INEC deployed all resolution-resolving mechanisms to resolve the issue…
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“Since the emergence of David Mark’s NWC, we’ve never held a NEC meeting. They contravened the party’s constitution that the NEC should have held every three months. NEC doesn’t even know if a congress is supposed to have been held. There’s a case in court on that. We are here to rescue the party and have interim exco to organise
“The tenure of the state executives is still running. Many of our member have written to dissociate themselves from the proposed congress
“The NWC reside in Abuja and they make decisions for the party without consulting the state chairmen and the party’s NEC..”
The Abia State chairman disclosed that the suspended NWC attempted to replace state chairmen whose tenure had not lapsed but were unsuccessful.
“He (Nwosu) attempted to illegally transfer the party to people who were not members of the ADC. David Mark-led leadership put in place some measures to replace state chairmen of the party for the simple reason that they didn’t look us as chairmen who would represent the party. We have quietly watched the illegality of their action prior to INEC’s recent position
“In the absence of the NWC of 2022, the NEC remains the only authority to speak on behalf of the ADC. Arising from an emergency NEC meeting held today (April 7, 2026), the NEC, therefore resolved and stated as follows: ‘we dissociate the ADC from David Mark and all members of the so-called coalition who attempted to hijack our party. We state that all actions taken by them, in the name of the ADC are not binding on the ADC.
“We dissociate the ADC from Nafiu Gombe and firmly and unequivocally state that he has never held the position of deputy chairman of the ADC…
“We reaffirm that our former presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, remains a bonafide member of the party whose purported suspension by the David mark group was an act of desperation taken too far…The David Mark-led coalition are not members of the ADC and do not speak for the ADC.”
Obinna reiterated that, contrary to what is in the public domain, the ADC never had a faction.
“ADC has no faction. The people seated here today were elected and they are state chairmen. The state chairmen body is the only recognised body and their tenure is still running. This is not a faction. INEC didn’t recognise the two NWC, it didn’t say anything about the NEC. INEC’s pronouncement didn’t affect the party’s NEC.
“In a vacuum, the NEC of the party takes over the party pending a new convention..We’ve been meeting and there’s no way you can conduct NEC of the party without state chairmen. The meeting INEC came to observe, we were there.
“We didn’t take ADC to court. Rather, it was Bala Nafiu that did that. In order to save the party we can’t sit idly and allow the party to be delisted. We’re here to continue, we’re speaking for ADC. We’re not here speaking for David Mark.
“Even when we were not a big party, we won elections and we can’t allow the efforts of the party to go down the drain.”
On his part, Kogi State chairman, Temitope Kingsley Ogga, noted that the Mark-led coalition was not qualified to be members of the party in the first place, according to the party’s constitution.
“There’s a clause that says if you’ve not been a member up to two years, you can’t contest for elective positions. These people are not up to two years and we warned them at that time.
“I told Ralph that what we’re doing is not the best and that he should be mindful of the party’s constitution.
“We’ve laboured for this party and we don’t want the party to go like that…Only God knows what happened between Nwosu and Nafiu Bala because they planned this thing together.”
