2027: ADC Crisis Gets Messier As Third Faction Emergies

The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress, ADC, took a new turn, yesterday, as a third faction loyal to its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, emerged and threw its weight behind the de-recognition of the David Mark-led leadership and Nafiu Gombe camp of the party. At a briefing in Abuja, the group said it is in total support of the decision of the electoral body to withdraw its recognition of David Mark and its exco in compliance with the decision of the Appeal Court. The faction, which named Kogi State Chairman of the party, Kingsley Temitope, as its interim national chairman, also disowned factional leader of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, saying he did not emerge through any known or credible process to lead the party. Made up of some state chairmen of the ADC, the faction accused former National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu, of trying to transfer the party to non-members, led by Mark and lauded INEC for quickly distancing itself from the Mark-led group. Dismissing the faction’s move as opportunistic, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the Senator Mark-led executive, said at the end of the day, the courts will decide. This was as Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said heavens will not fall if the ADC and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were not on the ballot in the 2027 polls. Crisis in Edo ADC ahead of state congress ‘They’ve been bought over’ — Mark-led ADC blasts rival camp as crisis deepens We dissociate ourselves from Mark, Gombe – Temitope’s faction At the briefing, the new camp said: “We hereby disassociate ourselves from David Mark and his exco and all the actions taken by him which are not binding on us. We also distance ourselves from the Nafiu Bala Gombe group and all the actions purportedly taken by him.” The group claimed that it took all the crucial decisions at a National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting, which took place at the office of the former presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, in Abuja, yesterday, and produced a communique read by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Obinna Don Norman. In the communique, the group said David Mark and his exco were never members of the ADC, having not been members for up to two years as stipulated in the constitution of the party. Norman said the congresses, which the party had slated for today, were never ratified by NEC and, therefore, not recognised by NEC. Answering reporters’ questions, Norman defended emergence of the new NEC members, saying their coming into existence was borne out of the need to preserve some structures to liaise with INEC and prepare the groundwork for the next election. He said the NEC remained the only legal structure of the party to deal with INEC and other institutions in Nigeria since both David Mark and Gombe have lost their legitimacy to lead the party at a crucial point in time. Rescue mission “We are on a rescue mission to save the ADC from being denied the opportunity to take part in the next general election. As soon as the legal tussle is cleared and the party returns to normalcy, NEC will stand down and allow the new exco to do its job.’’ Challenged by a reporter that they were being sponsored by the APC to destabilise the ADC, the spokesman denied any relationship with the APC and ever demanded or benefitted from the ruling party. “I have never met or seen the President. The last time I saw him was when he was the governor of Lagos and I was a reporter at that time,” Norman responded to the reporter, who asked the question. He added: “We are simply trying to ensure that the ADC is not made to lose its strong position in the political system in Nigeria through the attempt by non-members to hijack it for their own interest.’’ Apart from presenting names of members drawn from 25 state chapters of the party as new leaders, the new ADC faction also presented the names of Kingsley Temitope from Kogi as its interim National chairman; Odion Kennedy from Edo State as Secretary; Muhammad Khala Jidda from Borno State as deputy chairman; Kabiru Hussaini from Jigawa as Assistant Secretary; Dr. Charles Idowu Omidji from Osun State as National Organising Secretary; Johnny Tovi Derek from Baylesa State as Deputy Organising Secretary; Stella Chukwuma from Enugu State as treasurer; and Obinna Don Norman from Abia State as its publicity secretary. They’re being opportunistic – Bolaji Abdullahi Reacting to the development, Mallam Abdullahi told Vanguard: “They are being opportunistic. But out of the 37 chairmen, how many of them were in that meeting? It is a case of when you face a big challenge, smaller ones would see it as an opportunity to ride over you. “Some of these chairmen have gone to court in the last few weeks, but they could not see it through because the majority of the chairmen dissociated themselves from their action. ‘’Now, they have a ring leader and a rallying point under someone who has long been expelled from the party. I know a few of

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