Nafiu Bala Confirms Attendance of ADC Unveiling, Insists Meeting Was Not for Appointments

A fresh twist has emerged in the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as a factional chairman, Bala, has rejected claims that he endorsed the emergence of former Senate President, David Mark, and ex-Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as party leaders.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Bala confirmed his presence at a crucial meeting held on July 2, 2025, but clarified that the gathering was never intended to appoint new leaders for the party.

According to him, the meeting was convened strictly to adopt the ADC as a unified political platform for coalition partners, not to announce a change in leadership.

He recounted that events took an unexpected turn when the then National Chairman, Ralph Okey Nwosu, delivered his welcome address.

“Contrary to expectations, he announced his resignation as National Chairman, issued membership cards to Sen. David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, and declared them Acting National Chairman and National Secretary respectively,” Bala said.

Bala described the move as shocking and unconstitutional, arguing that it violated key provisions of the ADC Constitution (2022, as amended), particularly Articles 8(2) and 9(4).

He stressed that the party’s constitution does not grant an outgoing chairman the authority to appoint a successor, noting that due process for leadership replacement was completely ignored.

“There was no formal vote or consensus on the appointments, and several members of the National Working Committee were taken aback,” he added, distancing himself from any perceived endorsement.

The ADC chieftain further revealed that the then National Secretary, Sa’id Baba Abdullahi, also resigned shortly after the announcement under unclear circumstances.

He maintained that neither Nwosu nor Abdullahi had prior consultations with members of the National Working Committee before taking their decisions.

Bala concluded that his clarification was necessary to counter misleading interpretations arising from circulating videos on social media, insisting that his participation in the meeting and prior coalition engagements did not amount to support for what he described as “irregular appointments.”