Marco, Aregbesola’s appointments shock, violate…

The national president of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) faction, Nafiu Bala, confirmed that he attended the July 2025 event where the party’s interim leaders were unveiled, but denied supporting the emergence of former Senate President David Mark and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola.

The ADC has faced a prolonged leadership crisis since July 2025, when an opposition coalition took control of the party, with Bala and the Mark-led faction both claiming legitimacy.

The dispute eventually descended into legal battles, prompting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to revoke recognition of the rival factions, citing a March 12 ruling by the Court of Appeal.

In a statement released on Tuesday, April 7, Bala clarified that the July 2, 2025 meeting was originally convened to adopt the ADC as a unified policy platform for coalition partners, not to unveil new party leaders.

He explained that the situation changed unexpectedly when the then national president, Ralph Nwosu, announced his resignation during the meeting.

Bala said Nwosu subsequently issued membership cards to Mark and Aregbesola and declared them Acting National President and National Secretary respectively.

“The appointments were in clear violation of Articles 8(2) and 9(4) of the ADC Constitution (2022, as amended),” he said, stressing that the constitution does not allow an outgoing president to appoint successors without due process.

He added that there had been no formal vote or consensus among members of the National Working Committee, stressing that many party officials were taken by surprise by the announcement.

Bala also revealed that the then national secretary, Sa’id Baba Abdullahi, resigned shortly after the developments in circumstances that were not disclosed to party officials. He argued that his presence at the event and previous engagements with coalition partners between April 2024 and July 2025 should not be interpreted as support for what he described as irregular appointments.

Bala said the clarification was necessary following the spread of videos on social media claiming his support for the interim leadership. [The Star]

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