JUST IN: ADC accuses Tinubu’s govt of plotting to destabilise party

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Bola Tinubu-led government of attempting to destabilise the party following the defection of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

In a statement on Monday, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the party, alleged that there was pressure on Joash Ojo Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to interfere in the leadership structure of the party.

Abdullahi said a letter dated March 28 by some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), purportedly representing an expelled member of the party, was being used to push INEC to invalidate the party’s actions before the courts rule on the matter.

Part of the statement read: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has observed a coordinated attempt to pressure the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), and destabilise the David Mark-led leadership of the party.

“The decision of Senator Rabiu Musa 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.”

Abdullahi said the dispute is linked to a legal matter which, according to him, 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’,” he said.

He added that the lawyers allegedly threatened the INEC chairman with arrest if their demands were not met within seven days.

“They want INEC to invalidate party meetings, remove recognised officials, and hand over the affairs of the party to a specific individual, even though the case itself has not been fully decided by the courts.

“Obviously, what the authors of this vexatious letter are attempting to do is to pressure INEC to take sides and grant them what no court in Nigeria has granted,” he stated.

Abdullahi said Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is contesting the leadership of the party, was never the national chairman of the ADC.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is claiming to be aggrieved over the ADC leadership, was never the chairman of the ADC,” he said.

He added that Gombe had earlier resigned alongside other members of the national working committee and was later 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,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC spokesperson said the development reflects a convergence of legal pressure and political interests.

He further said: “What we are witnessing is a convergence of legal pressure and political intent by a ruling party that is unsettled by the growing appeal of the ADC.

“No amount of pressure, no manufactured confusion, and no distortion of legal processes will stop what is already in motion. The ADC is growing. Nigerians are joining. A credible opposition is taking shape.

“We call on INEC to remain guided by the Constitution, resist all forms of pressure, and uphold its duty as an impartial umpire. This is bigger than the ADC. It is about whether Nigerians can freely choose a different path.”