The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to install a fake party chairman in the opposition party as part of a broader scheme to make President Bola Tinubu the sole candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement issued on Monday, March 16, and signed by National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC alleged that powerful APC figures, including a serving governor and a senior security official in Abuja, are working to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission into recognizing expelled member Nafiu Bala Gombe as ADC’s national chairman.
The party said the plot is designed to destabilize the opposition and eliminate credible alternatives to Tinubu ahead of the 2027 polls.
“This brazen attempt to undermine and destabilise the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections is reportedly being driven by an APC governor in collaboration with a senior security official based in Abuja, as part of a plot to impose President Tinubu on Nigerians as the sole presidential contender in 2027,” the statement read.
The ADC described Nafiu Bala Gombe as an expelled member who once claimed to be Deputy National Chairman under former chairman Ralph Nwosu but was removed from the party for actions inconsistent with its constitution.
“It is therefore shocking, though not surprising, that elements within the ruling establishment are now attempting to use him as a willing instrument of destabilisation in a plot to forcefully take over the leadership of the ADC.”
According to the party, the objective is to create confusion within the ADC, sponsor illegitimate leadership claims, and cripple the only credible opposition platform Nigerians are increasingly turning to as a genuine alternative.
READ ALSO: Suspected Thugs Disrupt ADC Secretariat Opening In Cross River Community
“The objective is clear: to manufacture confusion within the ADC, sponsor illegitimate leadership claims, and ultimately cripple the only credible opposition platform that Nigerians are increasingly looking to as a genuine alternative, thereby leaving Nigerians with no real choice in the next general election, despite the widespread suffering the ruling party has brought on the people.”
The ADC said a properly constituted meeting of its National Working Committee and National Executive Committee, witnessed by INEC officials, transferred leadership to a coalition led by Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola in July 2025, which INEC formally recognized in September 2025.
The party also pointed to a March 6 Federal High Court ruling that dismissed a case challenging Mark’s leadership, affirming that leadership matters are internal party affairs.
The ADC called on the public, party members, and democratic institutions to reject the activities and claims of Nafiu Bala Gombe and those backing him.
“We know them and their game plans, and we will resist them by all lawful democratic means. We will defend our democracy,” the statement said.
The party said it remains united and committed to building a strong democratic alternative for Nigerians, adding that no amount of intimidation or political engineering will derail its mission.