Coalition leaders weigh return to ADA amid ADC dispute
Some principal officers of the African Democratic Congress said coalition leaders are considering switching to the newly approved All Democratic Alliance, Sunday PUNCH can report.
It was gathered that this is due to litigation issues that could threaten ADC chances and have broader political implications in the 2027 general elections
No fewer than three chieftains of the party said stakeholders viewed ADA as a more stable platform and might return should the court case against the David Mark-led executive of the ADC continue.
Coalition search for party
The Independent National Electoral Commission had on Thursday announced the approval of 14 political associations, including ADA, to proceed to the next stage of registration as political parties.
The opposition coalition, whose members now dominate ADC, had on June 19 agreed to register the ADA to avoid litigation by original members of any party they intended to adopt.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that the move to register the new party was originally a consensus among the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar-led National Opposition Coalition Group, the League of Northern Democrats, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, former governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai, and some southern political leaders.
ADA was thereafter adopted as the new party of the coalition and submitted to INEC for approval on June 19, following recommendations from the Rotimi Amaechi-led New Platform Committee.
Initially, INEC queried the application, stating that some requirements were unmet.
But barely three months later, INEC finally cleared ADA, allowing it to proceed with formal processes to establish the party.
The approval came amid litigation against the Mark-led executive from aggrieved members of the ADC, led by the Deputy National Chairman, Nafi’u Bala.
Bala had dragged ADC, Mark, and the Secretary of the party, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, to a Federal High Court, claiming he was supposed to assume chairmanship following the resignation of the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
Nwosu resigned on July 2 and appointed Mark as interim chairman and Aregbesola as interim secretary.
Among other prayers, Bala asked the court to nullify the Mark-led leadership and declare him the authentic chairman of the ADC.
He also sought an ex-parte order to restrain Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as party leaders.
In its ruling on September 4, 2025, the court, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, refused the ex-parte application and instead ordered that the defendants be put on notice and appear to show cause why the application should not be granted.
The case was adjourned to September 15, 2025.
ADA as a better choice
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, a credible source said the ADC leadership heaved a sigh of relief after INEC’s approval of ADA.
According to the source, coalition leaders now have a better alternative and may leave ADC.
The principal official said, “ADA was our first approach to have a reliable platform, which was why we constituted Amaechi’s committee. The alternative then was to look for an existing political party. I would say the pressure we put on INEC then yielded the approval of the ADA.
“But the consideration now is that the coalition either completes the ADA party process and moves there, leaving ADC alone if the crisis from the aggrieved members, especially from the Bala litigation, gets serious. We now have a good option. If the court rules against the David Mark-led ADC executive, we will fight it until we complete all ADA processes, then move into the party. Like I always say, the coalition is bigger than the ADC. If everything goes well with ADC, fine. But there is consideration of moving to ADA. It is an emerging dynamic.”
The official also hinted that the coalition was expecting some members of the PDP after the party’s convention in November.
He said their arrival would further change political dynamics within the coalition.
“A full-fledged alliance would come after the PDP members join the coalition. It is something bigger, and that is why moving out of ADC is also possible, because all stakeholders will have to agree on a party, candidate, and other considerations. But I can say that ADA is a broader platform for now,” he added.
Another principal official of the ADC acknowledged talks about moving to ADA, though he said it had not been formally discussed.
According to the source, some members of the party and broader coalition are considering the option.
Asked how soon the migration might take place, the official said, “I don’t think we have reached that stage yet. We haven’t discussed it as a group. But certainly, I know it is a matter that everybody within the party and the coalition is talking about.
“We have invested so much in ADC—not in terms of funding, but in terms of effort and time. But as far as many of us are concerned, whatever the coalition decides is what we’re going to do. We’ll see what happens. We’re likely to meet next week. The party is going to meet and the coalition is likely to meet within the next one or two weeks. Then we will make a decision on what to do.
“Actually, there are problems here and there within the ADC, just like these people will want to distract you. The government will not stop distracting the opposition because that’s the only way they can remain in power. But I believe most of us are rational human beings who look at things, basically assess them and then reach a conclusion.”
Another prominent leader of the ADC said, “We own the ADA, and it is even a broader platform because all the stakeholders in the coalition approved it as our original party. ADC was then an alternative. But now that the ADA has sailed through the processes and has been approved, we may leave ADC if the ongoing litigation constitutes a serious threat to any of our agenda,” a principal official of the party
A former minister among the ADC leaders also confirmed the possibilities of returning to ADA.
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He said, “If we see that the unexpected things are about to happen in ADC, we will migrate to ADA.”
But the spokesperson for the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said there was nothing like that.
He said, “There is nothing like moving to ADA. There is no doubt that the coalition owns the party, but there’s not yet a reason to migrate.”
