By Obinna Uballa
Fresh controversy has emerged within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the circulation of another video confirming that Nafiu Bala, who now claims to be the party’s national chairman, attended the July 2025 event where the interim leadership led by former Senate President David Mark was unveiled.
The footage, currently trending on social media, shows Bala seated among party stakeholders at the ceremony held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. He appears in the same row with Kenneth Okonkwo, a former chieftain of the Labour Party, alongside other political figures present at the event.
The video was verified with several party stakeholders who attended the programme. An earlier video from the July 2, 2025 event had also shown Bala at the gathering.
During the unveiling ceremony, former presidential aide Lauretta Onochie introduced Bala to the audience as the ADC deputy national chairman (intergovernmental affairs). Onochie co-moderated the programme with Dino Melaye, a former senator from Kogi State. Bala briefly stood up from his seat to acknowledge the introduction.
At the same event, Ralph Nwosu, founder and then national chairman of the ADC, announced that members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC) had agreed to step aside to pave the way for Mark to assume office as interim national chairman.
The emergence of the new video has intensified the dispute within the party, as Bala had later rejected the leadership arrangement that produced the Mark-led interim executive.
Bala could not be reached for comment on the latest development, as calls, text messages and WhatsApp messages sent to his phone were not returned.
Bala’s Self-Declaration as Chairman
Less than a month after the unveiling, Bala declared himself the national chairman of the ADC during a press conference in Abuja on July 30, 2025.
He accused the Mark-led leadership of orchestrating an illegal takeover of the party and violating its constitution.
Bala also denied resigning from his position as deputy national chairman, insisting that the resignation letter attributed to him was fabricated. He described the document as “false, deceptive, malicious and fake,” and vowed that “bonafide” members of the party would challenge the leadership change in court.
The dispute soon moved to the courts. On September 2, 2025, Bala filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja (FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025), seeking to restrain the Mark-led executives from parading themselves as leaders of the party.
He also asked the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the interim leadership and to compel the electoral body to recognise him as the acting national chairman of the ADC.
When the motion ex parte came up on September 4, 2025, Justice Emeka Nwite directed that the respondents, including INEC, be put on notice to show cause why the request should not be granted.
Dissatisfied with the proceedings, Mark later approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to entertain Bala’s suit.
However, in a judgement delivered on March 12, 2026, the appellate court dismissed Mark’s appeal, ruling that it was incompetent and lacked merit.
The three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam held that the trial court had not issued any substantive ruling on the ex parte application but had merely directed that the parties be put on notice.
The court subsequently ordered all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum and refrain from actions capable of undermining the proceedings before the trial court.
INEC Steps Back
Following the appellate court ruling, INEC announced last week that it would no longer recognise either of the rival factions within the ADC pending the final determination of the case before the Federal High Court.
The electoral body said it would strictly comply with the orders of the Court of Appeal and would not attend meetings, congresses or conventions organised by either faction.
But the Mark-led leadership rejected INEC’s interpretation of the ruling, alleging that the decision formed part of a broader effort to weaken the party ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a statement on Monday, the faction described its derecognition as a “plot” aimed at preventing the ADC from fielding candidates in the next national polls.
Allegations of Political Sponsorship
The crisis has also sparked political accusations, with some figures within the opposition alleging that Bala’s actions are being sponsored by elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilise the ADC before the 2027 elections.
According to the critics, the prolonged leadership tussle could undermine the party’s ability to organise and participate effectively in the upcoming polls.
However, the APC has denied any involvement in the dispute, insisting that the leadership crisis within the ADC is purely an internal matter for the opposition party to resolve.
