For the second time in two days, members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have protested at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja over the leadership dispute in the opposition party.
But this time, the demonstrators are members loyal to Nafiu Bala, who is also laying claim to the national chairmanship position of the ADC.
Led by Bala and a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, the protesters are asking the electoral umpire to immediately recognise the former as the authentic chairman of the party.
The ADC, as it stands now, has at least three different groups laying claim to its leadership.
These include the David Mark-led group, the Rafiu Bala-led group, and the group loyal to the 2023 presidential candidate of the ADC, Dumebi Kachikwu.
On Wednesday, the Mark-led group took a protest to the INEC headquarters, asking the agency to recognise its leadership.
The protesters included ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar; the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi; a former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi; ex-Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola; a former governor of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal; and ex-lawmaker Dino Melaye, among others.
They bore placards bearing different inscriptions, such as “Tinubu, let our democracy breathe”, among others.
The Mark-led ADC is accusing INEC of working with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilise opposition parties and destroy the country’s democracy.
They asked the commission’s chairman, Joash Amupitan, to resign from his position.
The crisis in the ADC began in the aftermath of Bala, who was the national vice-chairman, saying he ought to be the party’s national chairman after Ralph Nwosu resigned as the chairman.
Nwosu left the position following the opposition coalition’s adoption of the party as a platform to vie for the 2027 general elections.
Subsequently, the Mark-led executives took over as leaders of the party. But Bala took the matter to court.
When the motion was heard in September, Justice Emeka Nwite asked the respondents to be put on notice.
Mark appealed the order on December 18, 2025. But in March, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed the appeal.
INEC later said it won’t recognise the Bala or the Mark-led group until the Federal High Court decides on the matter. It also removed Mark’s name as chairman of the party on its portal.