Coalition may dump ADC for new party over leadership crisis
The coalition seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu may soon dump the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the newly approved All Democratic Alliance (ADA).According to Punch, the move is being considered because of the legal battles facing the ADC, which could affect its stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The coalition of opposition figures, which had earlier adopted the ADC, had on June 19, 2025, submitted ADA as its preferred platform to INEC after internal disputes threatened to divide the group.The coalition that pushed for ADA includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s National Opposition Coalition Group, the League of Northern Democrats, former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, former minister Rotimi Amaechi, and other southern leaders.Although INEC initially raised concerns over ADA’s application, the commission later granted approval three months later.The development came as a case against ADC’s leadership is still before a Federal High Court.
The party’s Deputy National Chairman, Nafi’u Bala, had dragged David Mark, who was named interim chairman after Ralph Nwosu’s resignation, and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the interim secretary, to court.Bala is demanding recognition as the rightful chairman of the ADC.The court, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, refused his ex-parte request to remove Mark and Aregbesola but ordered that the case be heard with all parties present.The matter was adjourned to September 15, 2025.
With this uncertainty, some coalition leaders are considering completing the ADA registration process and moving the entire bloc there if the ADC dispute deepens.They see ADA as a platform they already control and view it as a safer base for a broader alliance that could also attract members of the Peoples Democratic Party after its November convention.A 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.
