ADC alleges pressure on INEC to destroy party as faction moves to stop April 7 congresses
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the House of Representatives, yesterday, witnessed a major realignment as 28 lawmakers formally defected from their political parties

Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) alleged a grand plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into destabilising the party following the defection of former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.

This was as a faction of ADC urged INEC to stop the party’s planned congresses scheduled for April 7 to 14, 2026 and restrain Senator David Mark and his executive committee from parading themselves as ADC leaders.

The green chamber lawmakers cited internal crises, factional disputes, and uncertainties ahead of the 2027 election cycle.

Eight lawmakers from Kano State officially announced their defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the APC. Their defection was witnessed by Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano, Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, former governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje, and many others.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas announced the defections during plenary after reading letters from the affected members notifying the chamber of their decisions.

The movement cut across major parties, with many lawmakers gravitating towards the APC and ADC.

The defections included Philip Agbese of Benue, who left the APC for LP, citing state-level crises, and Aliyu Abdullahi of Kaduna, who moved from the APC to the ADC.

From Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere switched from PDP to the All Progressives Party (APP), while Matthew Nwogu left LP for APP.

In Anambra, Deputy Minority Whip George Ozodinobi and Uchenna Okonkwo both moved from LP to ADC, signalling a significant realignment within the region.

Sokoto and Gombe states also saw shifts, with Mani Maishinko, Abdulsahmad Dasuki and Umaru Yusuf joining the ADC, alongside Yahaya Tungo of Gombe and Seyi Sowunmi of Lagos.

Adamawa’s Mohammed Bassi left PDP for APC, while Osun’s Clement Akanni moved from PDP to the Accord Party (AP). Further losses hit the PDP in Taraba, Kebbi and Zamfara as Jafaru Yakubu, Sadiq Tafida, Ibrahim Mohammed and Bello Shinkafi all defected to the APC.

In Kano, a group of NNPP lawmakers crossed to the APC. Leading the charge was Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Madaki, who cited growing concerns over the direction of the Kwankwasiyya Movement. Others are Mustapha Tijani, Mohammed Shehu, Idris Dankawu, Hassan Shehu, Rabiu Yusuf, Mohammed Chiroma, Garba Mohammed, and Tijani Jobe.

WHILE some of his former loyalists ditched the NNPP on whose platform he contested the presidential seat in 2023, Senator Kwankwaso joined the ADC and directed his remaining supporters across the country to do the same.

ADC accused the APC-led Federal Government of attempting to pressure the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), to interfere in its leadership.

In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said a March 28 letter by some Senior Advocates, purportedly representing an expelled member of the party, was being used to push INEC to invalidate party actions and alter its structure before the court rules.

It alleged that this was part of a grand plan to destabilise the only viable opposition party left in the country and promised to resist it using all constitutional means.

“The decision of Kwankwaso to join our party has understandably sent jitters through the ruling party. Since then, top officials within the Federal Government have renewed their onslaught against our party, in a bid to discourage other high-profile figures.

“This conspiracy is centred on a legal dispute that is now being pushed beyond the courtroom. In a letter dated March 28, 2026, a team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria is asking INEC to enforce a curious and peculiar interpretation of a Court of Appeal ruling regarding what constitutes status quo ante bellum,” ADC claimed.

According to the party, Nafiu Gombe, who is claiming to be aggrieved over the ADC leadership, was never the Chairman of ADC, adding, “Nafiu Gombe had earlier resigned his position alongside other members of the National Working Committee (NWC). He has also since been expelled from the party. Therefore, any attempt to recreate a ‘status quo’ that upgrades his position to National Chairman of the ADC at any point in time is, at best, fictitious.”

The party called on INEC to remain guided by the Constitution, resist all forms of pressure, and uphold its duty as an impartial umpire.

ALSO, the chieftain of an ADC faction in Cross River State, Dr MacFarlane Ejah, petitioned INEC against the party.

The faction also called on INEC to ensure that any leadership transition in the ADC follows the strict prescriptions of our 2018 Constitution and the Electoral Act

Ejah, who is the Vice Chairman (Central)/Director Policy and Strategy of the faction, said the 2018 Constitution of the ADC does not recognise “Interim” or “Caretaker” structures

According to him, Article 18 (i and ii) and 17 (c) are unambiguous: officers at all levels (from the Ward to the National stage) must be elected through elective congresses.

“The 2026 Electoral Act [section 82(4)] reinforces this by mandating that political parties must operate through democratically elected organs. There is no ‘emergency power’ in our Constitution that allows a group of individuals to bypass the ballot box and appoint themselves as leaders. The presence of INEC officials at that meeting does not grant ‘legal life’ to a process that was ‘dead on arrival’.”

He said if an “illegal leadership” conducts the upcoming congresses and convention, every candidate they nominate would be legally flawed.