The crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) escalated on Tuesday as state chairmen condemned what they described as an “orchestrated political coup” led by a coalition spearheaded by former Senate President, Senator David Mark.
In a joint statement signed by forum leader Elias Adokwu and Publicity Secretary Godwin Alaku, titled “Rejecting the Political Junta by Defending ADC and Nigeria’s Democracy Against Subversion,” the chairmen called the move a “blatant and reckless subversion” of both the party and Nigeria’s democratic principles.
Among their accusations, the chairmen alleged the coalition was plotting an unconstitutional takeover of the ADC through “manipulation and backdoor dealings.”
They declared, “We unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms this desperate power grab, which represents not only an aberration of democratic norms but also a grave assault on our collective political values as a nation.”
Dismissing the takeover attempt as a cover for selfish interests, the ADC chairmen insisted it was not a genuine ideological realignment but a “civilian junta” trying to seize control outside legal and democratic frameworks.
They further described the attempted power grab as “an insult to all those who believe in and have laboured for democratic governance in Nigeria.”
The aggrieved chairmen accused the coalition of seeking to undermine the democratic process with “selfish ambition and extra-party inducements.”
Reaffirming their commitment to “democratic principles, the rule of law, ideological clarity, and peaceful political engagement,” they stressed that the ADC “would never be a platform for political mercenaries or ideological impostors.”
Challenging the coalition, the chairmen said, “We also challenge the coalition to reveal their true electoral worth,” questioning their “electoral value or ideological clarity.”
They concluded with a firm declaration: “The ADC is not for sale, not for hijack, and certainly not a dumping ground for discredited power brokers.”
The chairmen also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject any attempt to legitimize what they termed an “illegitimate junta.”
Calling on the Nigerian public and civil society to resist “creeping authoritarianism,” they demanded that law enforcement agencies investigate the unlawful effort to destabilize the party.
“We, the legitimate custodians of the ADC structure across all states of the federation, reject this illegitimate junta. We consider it our patriotic duty to defend the soul of the ADC and protect the sanctity of democratic structures in Nigeria,” the statement concluded.
In response, the ADC Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the claims as baseless, stating, “How long shall we continue to respond to non-existent issues? Who are the members of this Forum of State Party Chairmen?”
“Look, Nigerians should not allow themselves to be distracted from the real issues that face us as a people. Let us not waste our time on a gathering of a few people who are seeing that there is money to pick us from what they are doing. There is no issue that we have to respond to.”
