Controversy is trailing the recent takeover of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) by a group of high-profile politicians, with critics pointing to several constitutional breaches in the process.
On Thursday, Ralph Nwosu stepped down as National Chairman of the ADC, making way for former Senate President David Mark, who was announced as the party’s new interim Chairman, with former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as interim National Secretary, while ex-Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi emerged as the National Publicity Secretary.
The event, which took place in Abuja, was attended by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other influential figures in the new coalition.
Following the recent development, many party loyalists have questioned the legality of the entire exercise, citing Article 23, Clause 4 of the ADC Constitution which says “If a vacancy arises in any party office, the appropriate Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement from the same zone or constituency as the outgoing office holder. This appointment is to remain in effect until a new election is conducted at the next congress or convention.”
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Critics have also noted that there was no official NEC meeting where the interim leaders were elected, emphasizing that Mark himself confirmed during the event that he had just resigned from the PDP. Similarly, Aregbesola and Abdullahi were not known to be longstanding members of the party.
Their major sticking point is the ADC’s membership duration clause which Article 23, holds that, “To be eligible to hold any party position, a member must be in the party for at least two years for National and Zonal offices, and at least one year for State, Local Government and Ward positions. Such eligible member must not be in arrears of membership dues.”
Nwosu, while addressing the media, acknowledged this, saying: “During the October 12, 2022 convention, the ADC adopted a key clause requiring new members to spend, at least, two years in the party before they could contest elections or hold office.”
More controversy came from the absence of a proper resignation notice from the outgoing chairman, quoting Article 23, Clause 3: “Any officer elected into the Executive Committee at any level is required to resign from office by submitting a 30-day written notice to the appropriate executive body.”
Despite the Thursday’s announcement, insiders say the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not notified of any leadership change, as the two letters sent by Nwosu and Sa’id Baba Abdullahi to INEC only spoke about a planned NEC meeting on July 29 and a primary on August 16, without any mention of new interim appointments.
In defense of the process, Nwosu said: “All the processes were handled by experts. We have never been a party of loose politics. We are not even in government, yet we hold ourselves to the highest standards.”
Reacting to claims that the party constitution had been amended to allow the new leadership, the displaced National Publicity Secretary, Musa Matara, disagreed utterly.
“The amendment of a constitution is not something a small group of people can just do to suit their interests. It requires a public hearing. Even though it may not be a written party rule, it still demands public input and the involvement of stakeholders.
“If you’re drafting or amending the constitution of any organisation, all stakeholders must be critically involved from the planning stage to the implementation and final adoption. You don’t just add to a developed constitution.”
Matara also questioned the motive and timing of the supposed amendment: “If someone says the constitution was amended, the next question is, when exactly was it amended? Was it close to the time the coalition started? Or was it before, when there was no discussion about the coalition? And what was the purpose of the amendment?”
He added that INEC must be part of any constitutional review process, saying: “Before any political party’s constitution can be amended, INEC must be involved and must supervise the process. If they claim it was amended, they must tell us the exact date and month it happened. They mentioned the 15th of May, but that was exactly when talk of the coalition began.”
Reacting, Nwosu hit back, saying critics were simply afraid of change.
“Why are people so scared of change? Why should the restructuring of a political party cause such panic?
“If a leader steps aside for the greater good, that is not a weakness but a show of maturity. We welcome new people, and we agree on conditions. Our party is built on patronage, inclusion, and sovereign leadership.”
From the legal environment, Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN), a lecturer of Law at the University of Lagos, also weighed in. He condemned the idea of politicians moving into a party without resigning from their previous affiliations.
“If there is any member of the PDP that fails or refuses to resign before parading himself as an ADC chieftain, that is forum shopping. It is an offence; a violation of the Electoral Act and the constitution. Nobody, under whatever guise, can belong to two parties in Nigeria,” he warned.
“It is an act of impunity for politicians to parade themselves as chieftains of another party,” Shittu added.
Meanwhile, Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, did not hold back his criticism of the new coalition. During a thanksgiving service in Abuja, he said the real motive behind the coalition was selfishness, not patriotism.
“They want to rescue their stomach, not Nigeria,” Wike declared.
The minister questioned the moral ground of some opposition leaders.
“In 1999, you were in another party. In 2006, you moved to another party. In 2014, you moved to another party. In 2019, you moved back to another party. Now, in 2025, you are moving to another party to rescue who? You want to rescue your stomach. It’s not Nigeria you want to rescue.
“People had the opportunity to be in government for several years; people had the opportunity to bring infrastructure to their states; they didn’t do it. At that time, Nigerians were not angry. It is now that they are not in office that Nigerians are angry.”
He also criticized past leaders who failed to conduct local government elections or deliver basic services.
“Some of you have sympathy for somebody you don’t know. You say Peter Obi will be President. President where? For eight years, he was governor; he never conducted local government elections. That is what you describe as democracy.”
As debate continues within the ADC, it remains unclear how the crisis will affect the party’s standing ahead of the upcoming by-elections.
