ADC crisis avoidable if coalition followed due process – Nafiu Bala

As leadership tussles continue to unsettle the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Nafiu Bala, who identifies himself as the acting national chairman of the party, insists the crisis could have been avoided if members of the opposition coalition had followed due process. In this interview, Bala speaks on his rejection of the David Mark-led faction […]

As leadership tussles continue to unsettle the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Nafiu Bala, who identifies himself as the acting national chairman of the party, insists the crisis could have been avoided if members of the opposition coalition had followed due process. In this interview, Bala speaks on his rejection of the David Mark-led faction recognised by INEC, the role of the coalition in the crisis, and the ADC’s prospects ahead of the 2027 general elections.

 

Your faction’s emergence has deepened the division within the ADC just months after the opposition coalition took over the party. What exactly led to the split, and do you believe it was unavoidable?

As the acting national chairman of the party, I am not aware of any division. I am only aware that the former national chairman, Mr. Ralph Nwosu, publicly resigned his position as national chairman of the party. Members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accepted me, as deputy national chairman of the party, to take over as acting national chairman.

By virtue of our party constitution, when the national chairman voluntarily resigns his position, the constitution automatically gives me the power to take over as acting national chairman pending the next national convention.

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Yet, surprisingly, we saw the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) list some people as leaders of the party. They were not even card-carrying members of the ADC at the time. Senator David Mark and the other people whose names INEC published on its website are not legitimate members of our party.

I kicked against it because it is against our party constitution and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. At no time did our party, the ADC, register any of the coalition members, such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, David Mark, and others who claim to belong to the other faction of the ADC. As far as we are concerned, there is no division in the ADC, and we are not even aware of those people because they are not our card-carrying members.

 

Do you believe that the current crisis bedevilling the ADC was unavoidable?

Of course, it could have been avoided if the right channel had been followed by the coalition members. However, I am not surprised because it is a political situation. But by the grace of God, very soon they will give us our mandate, and in the end, the ADC will emerge stronger.

 

But some people within the coalition are saying that this crisis has distracted the party from strategising to win the 2027 elections. What can you say about that?

Well, my view is that the coalition members are destroying their own respective political parties before claiming to be members of the ADC. As I am talking to you, the majority of them are still not even card-carrying members of the ADC. How can somebody outside the party come in and, from day one, want to be the leader of the party without input from the existing national executive leaders? You just come in to show interest in joining the party and being a national leader at the same time. It doesn’t make sense at all.

 

Critics within the coalition say your factional activities have distracted the ADC from its broader goal of uniting the opposition for 2027. How do you respond to claims that you are undermining the coalition’s progress?

No, I am not. I only asked the coalition members to follow the appropriate channel if they want to join the ADC. They should follow due process, go to the party office at their respective ward levels and register as members first. We have a party constitution. They should simply follow our constitutional procedures. That’s all I told them.

 

There are allegations that your faction is being sponsored or influenced by elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to derail the ADC’s coalition project. How do you react to such accusations?

This is a baseless allegation. How can I be accused of that? You came to my party and accused me of being sponsored to destroy it. I am a card-carrying member of the ADC, and I have been in the party for about 10 years now. And now you just come in and want to push me out? In fact, they are not even in the right position to make such allegations because, as far as the party constitution is concerned, they are not members.

They came to destroy our party and are still complaining that I am the one being sponsored to destroy my own party? This is a baseless and unfounded allegation.

 

How much of this crisis is about ideology or leadership control? Would you say your disagreement with Ralph Nwosu and the coalition leadership is about principles or political interests?

It is the members of the coalition who should explain their arrangement with the former national chairman, Mr. Ralph Nwosu. Maybe they made some arrangements with him. But even as national chairman of the party, he didn’t have the power to unilaterally take decisions affecting the party without consulting other members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

We are not even aware of any meeting. We did not hold any meeting with the coalition members. The NWC of the party was not aware of them. We just heard in the media, like other Nigerians, that they were coming to the ADC. Later, we heard that Mr. Nwosu had resigned and handed over the party leadership to the coalition members. We said this was totally wrong and unacceptable.

 

Is this crisis and your stand over the leadership based on principles, or do you have other political interests to pursue?

No, there is nothing personal about this. This is the collective stand of other leaders of the ADC. I am speaking on behalf of the ADC as the authentic national chairman of the party. The NWC was produced through a convention; we were not appointed but emerged through a well-recognised process. They should allow us to complete our tenure. If anybody wants to show interest in being a national leader, they should wait for that time, during the convention period. They should come and join the party by following our guidelines and procedures.

 

When is the next convention?

By next year, at the end of 2026. That is when my tenure will end. I was elected as deputy national chairman during our last convention, and I took over as acting national chairman when the former chairman, Mr. Ralph Nwosu, resigned voluntarily. The law says I will hold office for four years. That’s all.

 

Talking about the 2027 election, don’t you think this crisis will affect the chances of the ADC taking power from the APC?

No, that is not correct. Every day we receive people coming from various political parties and registering as members of the ADC at the local level. By the grace of God, I assure you that the ADC will take over Nigeria in the next election.

 

Are you taking any personal steps to reconcile with Atiku Abubakar, David Mark, and other members of the coalition so that the party can be united?

I do not recognise those people as members of the ADC. I have told them several times to go and register as party members first. They should first become members of the ADC by following the rules and guidelines of our party before I can sit down with them. Until they do that, I will not consider them stakeholders.

I am receiving calls from several people across the coalition partners, but I have told them to go and register. This is my stance and final word. I cannot reconcile with somebody who is not a member of my party. Although they keep contacting me, I have always repeated my position, they must follow due process and first register as members of the party.