ADC State Chairmen Reject Alleged Attempted Takeover by David Mark-led Coalition
The crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) escalated on Tuesday as state chairmen of the party strongly condemned what they described as an “orchestrated political coup” led by former Senate President, Senator David Mark.
In a statement titled “Rejecting the Political Junta by Defending ADC and Nigeria’s Democracy Against Subversion”, and jointly signed by the forum leader, Elias Adokwu, and Publicity Secretary, Godwin Alaku, the chairmen denounced the move as a “blatant and reckless subversion” of both the ADC and Nigeria’s democratic processes.
They accused the coalition of plotting an unconstitutional hijack of the party through “manipulation and backdoor dealings,” insisting the attempt represented a significant threat to democratic values.
“We unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms this desperate power grab, which represents not only an aberration of democratic norms but also a grave assault on our collective political values as a nation,” the Chairmen said.
Describing the development as a “civilian junta” under the guise of realignment, they said it was driven by selfish ambition and extra-party inducements, warning that it had no ideological foundation.
The statement further read, “The ADC is not for sale, not for hijack, and certainly not a dumping ground for discredited power brokers.”
The forum reaffirmed its commitment to democratic principles and warned against attempts to destabilize the party, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to legitimise the move, which they labelled as an “illegitimate junta.”
They added, “We, the legitimate custodians of the ADC structure across all states of the federation, reject this illegitimate junta. We consider it our patriotic duty to defend the soul of the ADC and protect the sanctity of democratic structures in Nigeria.”
They also called on Nigerians and civil society groups to resist what they termed “creeping authoritarianism,” while demanding that security agencies investigate the alleged unconstitutional attempt.
In response, the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the concerns, saying, “How long shall we continue to respond to non-existent issues? Who are the members of this Forum of State Party Chairmen?
“Look, Nigerians should not allow themselves to be distracted from the real issues that face us as a people.
“Let us not waste our time on a gathering of a few people who are seeing that there is money to pick us from what they are doing. There is no issue that we have to respond to.”
