ADC Raises Alarm Over Alleged Plot to Destabilise Party After Kwankwaso’s Defection

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a strongly worded statement alleging a coordinated attempt to undermine its leadership following the defection of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to the party.
In a press statement dated March 31, 2026, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party claimed that pressure is being mounted on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), in a bid to destabilise the party’s leadership under David Mark.
According to the ADC, Kwankwaso’s entry into the party has triggered “jitters” within the ruling establishment, prompting what it described as a renewed political onslaught aimed at discouraging other prominent figures from joining the opposition platform.
Central to the dispute, the party noted, is an ongoing legal matter which it alleged is being escalated beyond judicial boundaries. The statement referenced a letter dated March 28, 2026, reportedly written by a group of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, urging INEC to enforce what the ADC described as a “peculiar interpretation” of a Court of Appeal ruling on the principle of status quo ante bellum.
The party further alleged that the letter included threats against the INEC chairman, demanding compliance within seven days. According to the ADC, the demands involve invalidating party meetings, removing recognised officials, and transferring control of the party’s affairs to an individual whose claim, it insists, lacks legal basis.
Addressing the leadership controversy, the ADC maintained that Nafiu Bala Gombe—who is reportedly laying claim to the party’s chairmanship—was never duly elected as National Chairman. The party added that he had previously resigned alongside other members of the National Working Committee and has since been expelled, rendering any attempt to reinstate him as “fictitious.”
The statement described the situation as a convergence of legal maneuvering and political interference by forces unsettled by the ADC’s growing influence. It insisted that such efforts would not halt the party’s momentum or deter Nigerians seeking an alternative political platform.
Calling for institutional integrity, the ADC urged INEC to remain impartial and guided strictly by constitutional provisions, warning against yielding to external pressures.
“This is bigger than the ADC,” the statement concluded. “It is about whether Nigerians can freely choose a different path—and that must not be compromised.”