The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed claims of a factional leadership within the party, insisting that it recognises only the leadership headed by former Senate President David Mark as legitimate and constitutionally valid.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, made this known during a pre-collation news conference on the ADC presidential primary election held in Abuja on Monday.
Mr Abdullahi stated that the Supreme Court had affirmed the legitimacy of the party’s leadership under Mr Mark and former Governor Rauf Aregbesola. He added that records on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal clearly reflected the party’s recognised leadership structure.
“We cannot start referring to a group of people who meet in a room to entertain themselves as a faction of the ADC. This matter has gone up to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. It affirmed that there is only one leadership – that of former Senate President David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola,” he said.
The ADC spokesman further disclosed that the party had fulfilled all constitutional and electoral requirements, including the submission of membership registers and notifications for congresses monitored by INEC officials. He revealed that the ADC has 3,444,000 registered members – records officially submitted to INEC following a verification and cleanup exercise.
Mr Abdullahi challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to produce verifiable membership records submitted to INEC, dismissing claims of millions of registered members as misleading. According to him, inflated membership claims by the APC were intended to create false impressions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Also speaking, the party’s National Organising Secretary, Chinedu Idigo, said the ADC had carefully designed processes to ensure the emergence of competent candidates for state assemblies, governorship positions, National Assembly seats, and the ongoing presidential primary election.
Mr Idigo expressed confidence that these processes would guarantee credible leaders capable of serving Nigerians effectively. He confirmed that INEC officials were monitoring the party’s presidential primary election across the federation in compliance with electoral guidelines, adding that the ADC had provided INEC with all statutory notices required for effective supervision.
Earlier, the chairman of the presidential primary election committee, Ikechi Emenike, announced the commencement of activities for the party’s presidential primary ahead of the 2027 polls. He said the exercise would produce the party’s presidential candidate through a transparent, inclusive, and democratic process.
According to Mr Emenike, the ADC remains committed to internal democracy at a time when democratic values are allegedly declining within Nigeria’s broader political environment. He said the party rejected imposition, consensus manipulation, and predetermined outcomes, opting instead for a credible process that guarantees equal opportunities for all qualified aspirants.
Mr Emenike noted that the ADC is distinguished by having three credible presidential aspirants capable of leading Nigeria through its current economic and political challenges: former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
He described Mr Atiku as a democrat and nation builder, credited Mr Amaechi with supervising major transport infrastructure projects during his tenure as minister, and called Mr Hayatu-Deen one of Nigeria’s leading development economists and a former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
Mr Emenike said the participation of the three aspirants reflected the ADC’s commitment to democracy, dialogue, and open contestation of ideas. He urged party members and stakeholders to ensure only verified figures were counted during the exercise, stressing the party’s dedication to transparent electoral processes.
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