|By Adejumo Adekunle
…Gombe politician faults handover to ‘outsiders’
…Says former leaders undermined party constitution
A fresh leadership crisis has erupted within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the adopted political platform of the opposition coalition, as Gombe-born politician and former governorship candidate, Nafiu Bala, on Thursday announced himself as the party’s Interim National Chairman.
The declaration puts him on a collision course with former Senate President, David Mark, who is currently recognised as the interim national chairman following the party’s adoption by the opposition coalition.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Bala, who described himself as the duly elected National Deputy Chairman of the party, accused former party leaders of abandoning their constitutional responsibilities and handing over the ADC to “powerful outsiders” with no history or ties to the party.
“I, Honourable Nafiu Bala, a bonafide member and a duly elected National Deputy Chairman of our great party… wish to draw the attention of the entire members of our great party and Nigerians at large to the ongoing acts of political hooliganism being perpetrated by some individuals,” he stated.
He alleged that some of the former leaders orchestrated what he called a “shoddily rehearsed political melodrama,” handing over party structures to strangers in what he described as an unprecedented betrayal of party values.
According to him, this internal handover was not only unconstitutional but a direct attack on internal democracy and party integrity. He warned that unless the alleged aberration is corrected, he and his supporters would seek redress in court.
Bala further said, “Recently, the nation woke up only to be greeted by a shoddily rehearsed political melodrama in which elected roles were switched with certain groups of political strangers… This total surrender and capitulation is without any known precedent in our democratic journey to constitutional order.”
Reaffirming his commitment to upholding the ADC constitution, Bala said the document clearly stipulates how leadership succession and vacancy filling should occur. He insisted his action was within the constitutional mandate conferred upon him as National Deputy Chairman.
“In the circumstances and in furtherance of my constitutional mandate… I now assume my constitutional duty and responsibility as the Interim National Chairman of our great party,” he declared.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently acknowledge the leadership change and respect the ADC’s internal democratic processes.
The ADC is yet to issue an official statement in response to Bala’s claims. However, the development is likely to deepen existing divisions within the party, already struggling with cohesion since it was adopted by the opposition coalition.
