A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu, says the party will continue preparations for its convention and congresses and won’t be distracted by the leadership crisis rocking the party, which parades some of the biggest politicians in Nigeria.

Nwosu spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, saying the party is moving on with its plans ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We are taking the necessary action both in court and with INEC, but we will not allow INEC to derail any of our programmes. After that malicious INEC release, our chairman and the rest of us sat together and decided to move ahead,” he said on the breakfast show.

“We submitted our programme to INEC according to the law, and they endorsed it—all the dates were endorsed. By the electoral law, whether they show up or not is their own volition; we have not violated anything.

“The congresses have already started. Our national convention, slated for the 14th, will also go on, where we will validate everything we’ve done. We don’t want opportunists in the ADC; we want mission-driven leaders who have the courage to challenge a bad system.”

Nwosu said the ADC will inform INEC of its programmes, including “our upcoming national convention to select our presidential and general candidates”.

“If they don’t accept it, we will publish it to all Nigerian media because they represent the people,” Nwosu, who founded the ADC, said.

INEC Derecognises ADC Leadership

His comment came after INEC said it won’t recognise the David-Mark-led executives of the ADC or the group led by Nafiu Bala, citing a court judgment.

The e’ectoral umpire said it won’t recognise the Bala or the Mark-led group until the Federal High Court decides on the matter. It also removed Mark’s name from its portal.

ADC’s crisis is linked to Nwosu’s resignation as the chairman of the ADC National Working Committee (NWC) in July 2025. His stepping down paved the way for the Mark-led NWC after the opposition coalition adopted the party as the platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s election.

But Bala, the former vice national chairman of the ADC, claimed that he automatically ought to take over as the party’s chairman after Nwosu’s resignation.

He took the matter to the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an ex parte injunction to stop members of the Mark-led group from parading themselves as leaders of the party.

When the motion was heard on September 4, 2025, Justice Emeka Nwite asked the respondents to be put on notice.

Mark, the second defendant, appealed the order on December 18, 2025. But last month, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed the appeal.

In the wake of the verdict, INEC said it would maintain the status quo ante bellum, based on the facts existing before September 2, 2025, when the case was originally filed.

ADC Protests, Presidency Denies Claims

INEC’s decision did not go well with the ADC, which accused the agency of undermining democracy and called for the resignation of its chairman, Joash Amupitan.

“We demand the immediate resignation or sack of the INEC Chairman and all National Commissioners. We are convinced they are incapable of conducting any credible election,” Mark said at a press conference.

“The only conclusion Nigerians can draw is that the electoral umpire has taken sides and can no longer be trusted,” he said.

On Wednesday, leaders of the party and other top members, including Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Aminu Tambuwal, and Rauf Aregbesola, among others, protested at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, calling for the reversal of the decision and Amupitan’s resignation.

They accused President Bola Tinubu of plotting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, a move they claim INEC is working towards by muzzling the ADC.

But the presidency and INEC have denied the claims, asking the opposition to play according to the rules.

“There is no design, whether covertly or overtly, to have just the APC on the ballot. We have 21 parties registered to compete on the ballot; every party has the right to field a candidate,” presidential spokesman Sunday Dare said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday. (Channels TV)