ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress, ADC, yesterday, accused the Presidency of plotting to destabilise the growing opposition coalition, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This came on a day, three aggrieved members of the party approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking it to sack the Senator David Mark-led interim leadership of the party.
This is even as the immediate past national chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, warned yesterday that the newly-formed opposition coalition might collapse under the weight of clashing interests and political power blocs if not properly managed.
Meanwhile, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr Babachir Lawal, yesterday, quit the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Similarly, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Katsina State, Salisu Lawal Uli, has officially announced his withdrawal from the PDP and declared his allegiance to the Coalition of Nigeria Political Groups, under the umbrella of the AD.
Also, a member of PDP’s BoT, Adamu Waziri, has dumped his party for ADC, decrying the loss of PDP’s credibility
It will be recalled that last week, some opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President, Senator David Mark; 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi; former Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi; former Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and former Kadun State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, formally took over the structure of the ADC and adopted it as the platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Following the announcement, the ADC, through its founding National Chairman, Nwosu, declared the collapse of the party’s structure.
Presidency plotting to destabilise opposition — ADC
However, the ADC alleged yesterday that due to its growing momentum as a credible opposition force, the Presidency is using intimidation and coercion tactics to undermine it.
ADC, in a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary and National Coalition Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, claimed that former state chairmen and key members of the party’s state executive committees in the North-East and North-West were summoned to a secret meeting with senior federal government officials.
According to him, the meeting had no connection with national security or peace-building but was rather intended to pressure attendees into supporting a scheme against the opposition coalition.
Abdullahi said: “We have credible intelligence that the aim of this meeting is not for national security or peace-building. It is to intimidate, coerce, and if possible, co-opt these individuals into a fabricated scheme against the opposition coalition. This is not politics. This is sabotage.”
Describing the actions as a direct assault on Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, he warned that they could push the country towards a one-party state.
He said: “The July 1 coalition declaration and the July 2 unveiling of the ADC have rattled the ruling party. It is now obvious that the Tinubu administration, having lost the trust of the Nigerian people, cannot withstand the pressure of a united and credible opposition.
‘’But rather than correct its ways, it has resorted to its old playbook of destabilising opposition parties.
“We call on President Bola Tinubu to take note of these sinister moves by some of his appointees and call them to order. The President needs to prove to Nigerians that he is, indeed, a democrat.
‘’He needs to remind his men that if the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was as intolerant and as subversive of the opposition, the APC would not have come to power in 2015 and he would not have been a president today.
“Let it be clear: the coalition movement is an idea whose time has come. This party belongs to every Nigerian who is tired of the lies, the manipulation, and hardship.
‘’It belongs to every Nigerian who wants to restore decency, vision and justice to governance. We would, therefore, not allow a handful of desperate men to turn Nigeria into a one-party dictatorship. And it would be our patriotic duty to resist it with every democratic means available to us.”
ADC not discussing presidential ticket yet
He also disclosed that the party was not currently engaged in talks about who will get the presidential ticket.
He said: “We’re not having any of those conversations right now. That will come later. For now, we’re focused on building the party to offer Nigerians a viable alternative.”
ADC presidential aspirants to face internal contest —Source
However, a senior party source told Vanguard that the ADC is determined to avoid the pitfalls in older parties by insisting on competitive internal processes and accountability. “We want internal competition to bring out the best candidates. A party that avoids competition internally will struggle in general elections.
“We’re not banking on voter frustration to win. We want to return to a political system where leaders are held accountable after elections and the party has the authority to discipline them,” the source said.
Aggrieved ADC members drag Mark, Aregbesola, others to court
Dissatisfied with the takeover of the party, some aggrieved ADC members, including Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Victor Tolu and Haruna Ismaila, have challenged the membership of Senator Mark and others who were appointed as interim leaders of the party.
The plaintiffs urged the court to, among others, determine whether the purported handover of the party’s leadership structure to individuals involved in a merger was not a direct violation of a subsisting judgment.
While the ADC was cited as the 1st defendant in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1328, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Raph Nwosu, were joined as 2nd and 3rd defendants.
Similarly, Senator Mark, who was recently appointed interim national chairman of the party; former Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (the Interim National Secretary), and a former Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi (Interim National Publicity Secretary), were listed as 4th, 5th and 6th defendants, respectively.
Specifically, the plaintiffs posed legal questions for the court to determine, among which included: “Whether or not the appointment of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Defendants as Interim National Chairman, National Secretary, and National Publicity Secretary of the 1st Defendant was made in breach of the provisions of the ADC Constitution, 2018 (as amended).
“Whether or not, given the combined provisions of Article 9, paragraph D of ADC Constitution, 2018 (as amended), the 4th, 5th, and 6th Defendants are qualified to hold the respective offices to which they were appointed. Whether the key individuals involved in the merger, like 4th, 5th, and 6th Defendants, were properly registered members of the 1st Defendant to qualify for leadership position.
“Whether the constitution of the 1st Defendant, being an existing and not a newly formed political party, makes provisions for interim leadership positions such as Interim National Chairman, Interim National Secretary, and Interim National Publicity Secretary. Whether the current Executive Committee of the 1st Defendant ought not to have been dissolved or replaced only through a properly convened National Convention or a valid decision of the National Executive Committee, NEC.
“Whether the 2nd Defendant can lawfully recognize the 4th, 5th, and 6th Defendants as the Interim National Chairman, Interim National Secretary, and Interim National Publicity Secretary of the1lst Defendant, by the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the ADC, 2018 (as amended).
“Whether or not the 3rd Defendant’s purported handover of the party’s leadership structure to the newly constituted leadership of the ADC is not a direct violation of the judgment delivered in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/1541/2022 by Justice Binta Nyako on December 21, 2022.”
Upon the determination of the questions, the plaintiffs urged the court to hold that the appointment and nomination of interim leadership for the party “is unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void.
“A Declaration that the appointment of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Defendants is inconsistent with and contrary to the combined provisions of the Constitution of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), 2018 (as amended).”
No date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.
Power blocs may crash ADC, if… — Nwosu
Speaking on TVC’s flagship programme, FCT Brief, yesterday, Nwosu, who now chairs the ADC’s integrity committee, said the coalition marks a bold step towards rescuing Nigeria, noting that its success depends on discipline, shared values and a strong commitment to reform. He clarified that the resignation of the ADC’s national executive members was not abrupt but followed over a year of discussions involving more than 12 National Executive Committee, NEC, meetings.
His words: “We’re in a political climate where it seems that if you’re corrupt and have stolen public funds, all you need to do is switch parties and your sins are forgotten. Is this the kind of legacy we want to leave for the next generation?
“All state chairmen were involved. We had more than 12 NEC meetings, the motions were documented, and the process was supported. People shouldn’t judge us based on what is happening in other parties, the legislature, or the villa.”
Responding to allegations that the ADC platform was sold to powerful politicians, Nwosu insisted that his commitment to the party and Nigeria was never about money. He said: “I’ve invested billions of naira in this party since it began because I believed the political system was failing in leadership. My children studied at the best universities; Imperial College, Stanford, and Columbia, yet they can’t come back to Nigeria. Do you think I would trade their future for money?”
On the decision to step aside for new leadership figures with long political histories, the former party chairman backed the appointments of Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola.
“Senator Mark is a man of dignity, discipline, and commitment. His leadership reflects these values. Aregbesola is one of the simplest and most integrity-driven individuals you’ll meet,” Nwosu said.
He stressed that the coalition is not a platform for political opportunism but for genuine reform. ‘’To support this, all aspirants will attend retreats where they will reflect on their political journeys and past mistakes.
“Anyone who wants to run for any position, whether for president or any other office, has agreed to attend these retreats. We’ll confront our past mistakes and the erosion of values,” he explained.
He also addressed concerns from members of the Obidient movement, many of whom believe that Peter Obi must emerge as the coalition’s presidential candidate or they might withhold their support.
“We have many potential candidates: Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Atiku Abubakar, and others. Even if none of them becomes the candidate, our manifesto will remain the foundation of our movement,” Nwosu noted.
He reiterated that the ADC is not a special-purpose vehicle for any one person, saying “even if I were elected president tomorrow, Nigeria would be different because we’re committed to a new path.”
Tinubu’s estranged ally, Babachir, finally quits APC
Meanwhile, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Engr. Babachir Lawal, has finally dumped the APC. Lawal was a close ally of President Bola Tinubu until a few years ago when he parted ways with the then APC national leader.
In his resignation letter dated June 29 and addressed to the Chairman of APC in Bangshika Ward of Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Lawal said he would make his next political affiliation known in due course. He said: “I write to formally notify you of my resignation from the All Progressives Congress.
“In due course, I will make public my current political affiliations where I plan to join other compatriots to work towards making Nigeria a better living place for all its citizens. This resignation takes immediate effect.
“Please, remain blessed and extend my warm regards to other members of your party.”
Ex-Katsina PDP chair, Uli joins ADC
Similarly, former chairman of the PDP in Katsina State, Alhaji Salisu Lawal Uli, yesterday, announced his withdrawal from the PDP and declared his allegiance to the ADC.
Uli, in a letter dated July 2, 2025, expressed disappointment on the manner the leadership of the PDP had been conducting the affairs of the party since 2022 as his reason for withdrawing his membership of the party.
He further criticised the party for its perceived lack of accountability, noting that “signs began to manifest that the PDP’s collapse was imminent when some members felt they are demigods who cannot be subjected to disciplinary action, no matter the height of atrocities they committed on the party.”
Uli, a member of the PDP since 1998, however, assured his supporters that his “struggle for the liberation of Nigeria and Katsina State will now continue in ADC, describing it as ‘a much more formidable, democratic, ideological, strong, disciplined, reliable and respectable platform.’”
Also recently, a faction of the Katsina PDP loyal to former secretary to the state government, SSG, Dr Mustapha Inuwa, announced its resignation from the party.
PDP BoT member, Waziri, joins ADC, decries party’s loss of credibility
In the same vein, a Board of Trustees, BoT, member of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, has resigned from the party and joined ADC.
Waziri, a founding member of PDP, announced his exit from the party at the Dogo Tebo Ward Centre in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe yesterday, citing national interest and the need to restore democratic values.
He said the decision is in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution, which stipulates that membership withdrawal must be formalised at the ward level.
Waziri said his decision to quit PDP was informed by “exigencies of the moment” and the urgent need to reinvigorate Nigeria’s democratic institutions through a new political movement.
“I was a member of PDP, and due to the exigencies of the moment and in the interest of the nation, I have decided to resign. The PDP constitution demands that I come to my ward centre to formalise this action,” he said.
Waziri, who described the decision as ‘’difficult but necessary’’, said the current PDP leadership and the party’s tone no longer aligned with the vision of a credible opposition party.
He appealed to his political associates, whom he referred to as “my boys,” to join him in the movement to recreate a vibrant democracy and deliver good governance for the Nigerian people.
In his response, the PDP Ward Chairman, who was represented by Malam Muhammad Bomai, accepted Waziri’s resignation ‘’with deep regret’’, describing him as a national figure and pillar of the party whose exit would leave a significant void. “On behalf of the party, we accept his resignation with a heavy heart. Waziri has been an institution within the PDP, and we will feel his absence deeply,” he said.
Bomai, who handed over Waziri’s returned membership card, also announced his own resignation from PDP and immediate defection to ADC. He reiterated his alignment with Waziri’s vision for Nigeria’s political future.
VANGUARD.
