The leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) worsened on Tuesday as the faction led by Acting National Chairman, Nafiu Bala, set conditions for recognising the interim leadership of former Senate President, David Mark, and ex-Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola.
Bala, speaking through his Special Adviser on Strategic Communication, Abimiku Monday, in an interview on Arise Television, insisted that Mark and Aregbesola must begin their membership from the ward level and align with the existing ADC structure before any dialogue could take place.
“If they follow the legal procedures of joining the party through the electoral wards by identifying with the actual existing structure of Nafiu Bala Gombe, then we would definitely accept whatever discussion they want us to have,” Monday said. “But other than that, it is an aberration, an attempt to hijack the structure, and we will not allow that.
”He added that while politics permits alignment and disagreement, there would be no shortcuts to undermine the party’s constitution.
The standoff follows the adoption of the ADC earlier this year by a coalition of opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-governors Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi, former SGF Babachir Lawal, and Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
Following the adoption, Mark was named Interim National Chairman and Aregbesola Interim National Secretary — appointments rejected by the Bala-led Gombe faction, which has already filed a court case against the coalition.
