THE pioneer National chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Ralph Nwosu has explained the indices that supported the emergence of Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as leaders of the party.

Chief Nwosu also expressed concerns that the one time national vice chairman of the ADC, Nafiu Bala was either impatient or simply allowed himself to be used by the presidency to destabilize the ADC.

Bala on the other hand has argued that his actions were driven by the desire to protect the constitution of the ADC and not personal ambition.

Speaking to The Guardian on the crisis rocking the ADC which flows from his resignation and handing over to Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary respectively , chief Nwosu explained that during the meetings preceding the official handing over , the ADC understood the need to allow other political parties have proper representations in the coalition for it to work .

According to Nwosu, it was resolved that the original ADC would retain the positions of National Treasurer , National Welfare Secretary , Deputy National Secretary and two deputy chairmen as well as Whip.

He said Senator Mark represented the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Aregbesola represented the All Progressives Congress ( APC) while the Labour party got the National Organizing Secretary .

Chief Nwosu said: ” In the current NWC of the ADC coalition we have the National Treasurer representing the ADC, the National Welfare secretary is ADC, the Deputy National Secretary is ADC and two deputy national chairman .

“We have the chief Whip of the party and because it was a coalition we didn’t bother ourselves about who is national chairman and National Secretary because other political parties also had to be given positions moreso that the PDP ,APC and Labour were bigger, therefore we offered the PDP national chairmanship ,the APC got the secretaryship while the National Organizing Secretary went to the labour party.

“You cannot build a coalition and fail to consider the interest of others, you can only do that by working together and that is exactly what we are doing in the coalition.

David Mark assures on ADC future amid party setbacks

He pointed out that, “What Nafiu Bala from all indications felt was that he thought he was going to be among the few that would be retained but we built a large poll of committees that are better than party offices but maybe the pressure from the presidency is what is pushing him.”

Chief Nwosu stressed that the ADC will continue to wax stronger despite the setbacks , adding that the party, through the counsel by former Senate President David Mark resolved to allow the ordinary people take ownership and that the decision has greatly paid off.

He claimed that the membership of the ADC had witnessed an unbelievable jump since INEC’s stance .

” Everything about the part is going on well and I can assure you without mincing words that the Nigerian people have taken over the ADC and it now belongs to the ordinary person in Nigeria and that was why when David Mark initially took over we felt concerned that he was too quite but he said look ,let the people take over the party and that is what has happened .

“What is happening now is that people are panicking especially after we went to Kano and they saw our line up. We were going to Katsina in three days , then Bauchi in another three days , Osun after another three days and so on ,so they became afraid .

“They saw what was going to happen and they felt they should puncture our tyres . Since they did that rubbish , the membership of the ADC has gone higher and Nigerians are waiting to use the ADC to do opposition.”

Nafiu Bala on his part told The Guardian that the allegations that has been driven by personal interest was false .

“I would like to clarify that I am not driven by personal grievances or agendas. My concern stems from the apparent breach of our party’s constitution, specifically Articles 8(2) and 9(4), regarding membership and eligibility to hold party positions. Senator David Mark and his coalition members’ induction into the party raises questions about their eligibility. On 2nd July, 2025, the then National Chairman, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu announced his resignation at Yar’Adua Center Abuja, issued party membership cards to Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, appointing them as Acting National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively. This process appears to contravene our party’s constitution.

“Specifically, it appears to violate Articles 8(2) and 9(4), which outline membership requirements and eligibility for holding party positions. My concern is ensuring that our party’s rules are respected and followed.”

He insisted also that INEC ought to have recognized him as national chairman.

“I appreciate INEC’s efforts in enforcing the Appeal Court’s judgment, but I am definitely not satisfied with their decision not to recognize me as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the removal of Sen. David Mark’s group. As the rightful leader of the ADC, I believe I should be acknowledged by INEC, and I’m pushing for this recognition.” (The Guardian)