A leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala, has confirmed that he attended the meeting where the party unveiled its interim leadership, led by a former Senate President David Mark last July.
Since July 2025, when the then National Chairman of the ADC, Chief Ralph Nwosu announced the assumption of the party’s leadership by a coalition of opposition politicians, led by Mark, the ADC has been grappling with internal crises. Bala and the Mark-led group have been laying claim to the party’s leadership.
The crisis culminated in protracted legal disputes, which prompted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to de-recognise both factions last Wednesday, citing the 12 March judgement of the Court of Appeal.
As INEC’s decision continued to generate debate, two viral videos revealed that Bala was present at the ADC unveiling of the Mark-led leadership in July 2025.
On Saturday, TheCable reported Bala’s attendance of the event, citing a 2 July 2025 video posted by Symfoni on YouTube.
The newspaper also published another viral video on Monday, which indicated Bala’s presence at the meeting.
The footage, now circulating on social media, shows Bala seated in the same row as a former member of the Labour Party, Barrister Kenneth Okonkwo, alongside other party stakeholders at the ceremony held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
TheCable verified the video through multiple party stakeholders who attended the event.
At the event, a former presidential aide, Ms. Lauretta Onochie, introduced Bala as the ADC Deputy National Chairman (Intergovernmental Affairs).
In a statement on Tuesday, Bala confirmed his attendance, but insisted that there was no prior agreement to appoint the Mark-led leadership at the meeting.
He said that the meeting, which held on 2 July 2025, was convened specifically for the adoption of ADC as a unified platform for coalition partners, not to unveil new party leaders.
He said: ‘Contrary to expectations, the event took an unexpected turn when Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, the then National Chairman, was given the floor to deliver his welcoming address.
‘In a shocking move, he announced his resignation as National Chairman, proceeded to issue a membership card to Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, and declared them Acting National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively’.
He said that Nwosu’s actions ‘were in clear contravention of Articles 8(2) and 9(4) of the ADC Constitution (2022, as amended)’.
According to him, the party’s constitution does not empower an outgoing chairman to appoint a successor.
He said that the process for replacing the National Chairman is ‘explicitly outlined in the constitution, and Nwosu’s actions disregarded this procedure.
‘I was present at the meeting and can attest that the gathering was not intended for the unveiling of Mark and Aregbesola as party leaders.
‘My attendance at the meeting and previous engagements with coalition partners from April 2024 to July 2025 do not imply endorsement of the irregular appointments.
‘There was no formal vote or consensus on the appointments, and several National Working Committee (NWC) members, including myself, were taken aback by the developments’.
He added that, following Nwosu’s announcement, the then National Secretary of the ADC, Sa’id Baba Abdullahi, resigned, citing unclear circumstances.
‘None of the NWC members were privy to the situation, and neither Nwosu nor Abdullahi had discussed the matter with us prior to the meeting.
‘I trust this clarification addresses the concerns raised by the circulating videos of my humble self on social media platforms. I appreciate the opportunity to provide accurate information and set the record straight’, he said.
