Tensions Escalate in ADC as New Splinter Group Forms

A new faction of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has emerged, backing the electoral body's decision to withdraw recognition of the David Mark-led leadership and Nafiu Gombe camp, in a fresh twist to the crisis rocking the party.

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This development comes as the faction, loyal to the party's 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, named Kingsley Temitope, Kogi State Chairman of the party, as its interim national chairman, and threw its weight behind the de-recognition of Mark's leadership.

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The faction, made up of some state chairmen of the ADC, accused former National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu, of trying to transfer the party to non-members, led by Mark, and lauded INEC for quickly distancing itself from the Mark-led group.

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At a briefing in Abuja, the group said it is in total support of the decision of the electoral body to withdraw its recognition of David Mark and its exco in compliance with the decision of the Appeal Court.

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The faction also disowned factional leader of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, saying he did not emerge through any known or credible process to lead the party, and presented the names of new leaders, including Odion Kennedy from Edo State as Secretary and Muhammad Khala Jidda from Borno State as deputy chairman.

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Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the Senator Mark-led executive, dismissed the faction's move as opportunistic, saying the courts will decide on the matter in the end.

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Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, stated that Nigeria's democracy will remain intact if opposition parties don't meet guidelines of the electoral commission and fail to appear on the ballot in forthcoming elections.

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The party's spokesman, Seye Oladejo, said democracy is anchored on laws and institutional processes, not emotions or political pressure, and that compliance with electoral guidelines was compulsory for all political parties.

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The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has called for tolerance for opposition parties, warning that Nigeria might be heading towards a dictatorship if there is no strong opposition in the country.

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Adams expressed concern over the way some politicians are using the instrumentality of the courts to unsettle opposition parties, and urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to look into the judgements and injunctions being given by some judges, mostly against opposition parties.

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He warned that a democracy without opposition is becoming a dictatorship, and that the judiciary must be careful not to be used indirectly to disrupt the opposition parties.

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Adams said the annulment of the 1993 presidential election was caused by an injunction given to two people by Justice Bassey Ikpeme, and that the beginning of many troubles for Nigeria as a nation started from there.

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He appealed to the CJN and the entire judiciary to take decisive action to prevent judges from destroying the nation's democracy through their court pronouncements.