The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised the alarm over what it described as a plot to make Bola Tinubu the sole presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
The party also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to impose an expelled member as its national chairman in a move it said was aimed at weakening the opposition.
Specifically, the ADC alleged that the APC is plotting to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe, an expelled member of the party, as the ADC National Chairman.
According to the party, the alleged move forms part of a wider strategy to destabilise the ADC and ensure that President Tinubu emerges as the only serious contender in the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the alleged plot as a calculated attempt by elements within the ruling establishment to create confusion within the party and weaken what it called a viable opposition platform.
The party insisted that there is no ambiguity about its leadership, maintaining that its affairs are firmly under the control of former Senate President, David Mark, following a combined meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) witnessed by INEC officials in July 2025.
The ADC said it would employ all legitimate means to resist what it described as attempts by anti-democratic forces within the ruling party to undermine competitive democracy in Nigeria.
The statement alleged that powerful figures within the APC were behind efforts to pressure INEC into recognising Nafiu Bala Gombe as the party’s national chairman.
It claimed that the move was being driven by an APC governor in collaboration with a senior security official based in Abuja as part of a broader scheme to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the party, Gombe, who once claimed to be Deputy National Chairman under former ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, had been expelled from the party for actions inconsistent with its constitution and leadership decisions.
The ADC said it is, therefore, alarming that certain political interests were allegedly attempting to use him to destabilise the party and forcibly take over its leadership.
The party further argued that the objective of the alleged plot was to manufacture internal crisis within the ADC, sponsor illegitimate leadership claims and cripple what it described as the only credible opposition platform available to Nigerians.
Reiterating its position, the party said a properly constituted joint meeting of its NWC and NEC, witnessed by INEC officials, had transferred the party’s leadership to a coalition led by David Mark and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in July 2025.
It added that INEC formally recognised the leadership in September 2025.
The party also cited a Federal High Court ruling delivered on March 6, which dismissed a suit challenging Mark’s leadership of the party, affirming that leadership issues within political parties are internal matters.
The ADC warned that Nigeria’s democracy could be undermined if ruling parties attempt to infiltrate or manipulate opposition platforms for political advantage.
It said such actions would constitute a serious threat to democratic pluralism and the constitutional right of Nigerians to organise and support credible political alternatives.
