De-recognised Mark’s ADC faction: Crying wolf where there is none, by Kola Amzat

“He who comes to equity must come with clean hands”. This legal maxim seems very strange to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Senator David Mark and all other recycled politicians who collaborated together to hijack a hitherto fringe party-ADC.

In their desperation to unseat the incumbent president after FCT minister, Nyesom Wike hounded them from PDP owing to anti-party activities, they plotted to hijack the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Indeed, they found a ready-made tool in a political merchandiser, Ralph Nwosu who against all known democratic norms, tenets and principles caved in and singlehandedly marketed and handed over the party-ADC for a pot of porridge.

Meanwhile, Nafiu Gombe and other constituted EXCO members of the party who were supposed to take over the chairmanship of the party after Ralph Nwosu renounced his right of leadership, were completely sidelined.

With decades of leadership by the key members of ADC at highest level -Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as vice president for eight years, Senator David Mark at the upper chamber for about 20 years, with 8 eight years reigning supreme as senate president, Rauf Aregbesola as 8 years governor, as well as interior minister and others, it’s curious why they didn’t foresaw danger ahead. If indeed, they foresaw it, they were arrogant in deeply plunging into it.

It’s unfathomable why they allowed inordinate ambition and sheer desperation for power, to start hatching plot against a focused, resourceful, developmental and a president with mass and national appeal to becloud their reasoning.     

Without a doubt, Mark led factional leadership are presently at the cross road and it may be difficult for them to wriggle out, a development that could necessitate the party not featuring in the ballot in the forthcoming general elections.

Below were want transpired and why sword of Damocles is hanging all around the neck of Mark led factional ADC leadership:

Nafiu Bala Gombe, who with all intents and purposes supposed to have ascended the party leadership after Ralph Nwosu reneged his own, had sought an order of injunction restraining INEC from recognizing the Mark-led leadership.

But a high court Judge in his ruling, turned down the request and ordered that the applicant-Nafiu Bala Gombe put the defendants on notice.

But, Mark-led leadership approached the appellate court to challenge the jurisdiction of the said high court Judge to entertain a suit they claimed centred around the party internal affairs, which according to them was not justifiable.

They also claimed that the Judge had become functus officio, having held that the application for an order of injunction was denied.

However, the appellate court, in holding that the case of the Mark-led factional leadership was premature, also dismissed it and ordered accelerated hearing of the substantive suit at the trial court.

Specifically, the appellate court ordered the parties to maintain STATUS QUO ANTE BELLUM, a ruling that prompted INEC to remove the names of the Mark-led leadership, which the commission had hitherto recognized as the leadership of the ADC.

With the aforementioned sequence of events, where has the INEC erred?

Why has INEC become subject to undue attack and assault simply because they are upholding what the electoral act and constitution expects of the institution?  

The April 8, 2026, “OCCUPY INEC” exercise carried out by the leaders and members of the factional African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by Senator David Mark to protest at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja, calling for the resignation of INEC chairman and the entire commission leadership hierarchy, as well as demanding the reversal of de-recognizing Mark factional leadership was an embarrassment, condemnable and unbecoming of set of leaders that had previously operated at highest level, and who therefore supposed to know better.

The preoccupation of Senator Mark and his team at INEC office was to attempt to subject the electoral umpire to unnecessary pressure, scorn and ridicule, hoping that the inglorious and condemnable action would cause INEC to overturn the already taken decision.

They probably expected that the decisive and courageous INEC Chairman would be cowed to bow to the army of key personalities and recycled leaders who constituted the bulk of the protesting team, but, they met their match in the very firm chairman who stoutly reminded them of the implications of their actions, particularly with regard to frustrate and truncate the forthcoming general elections.

A pertinent question at this juncture: why should a set of politicians believe that it’s their inalienable rights to be in the ballot in every election cycle, even though they refused to justify the mandate of electorates to the higher office they’re entrusted in the past by delivering visible dividends of democracy?.     

Meanwhile, the factional ADC leaders shortly after their theatrics and show of shame resolved to take action which ordinarily they ought to have taken earlier.

They resolved to turn back to court to mandate INEC to reverse the earlier decision and recognize their faction.

Nigerians expect that the factional Mark ADC leadership would be courteous enough and exercise high level of decorum to await the court judgment, and by so doing, desist from throwing the country into undue tension and apprehension, thereby fanning the embers of discord and hatred in all the nooks & crannies.

ADC is only one party of about 21 parties registered for the forthcoming elections. No other party is causing this level of confusion and disorderliness all around the country.                

 Kola AMZAT (FCA, FCIB),

Lagos based Financial & Management Consultants,

09077509348.