ADC Founder Makes Shocking Claims Against Nafiu Bala Amid Party Crisis

The founder and pioneer national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu has made fresh allegations against former deputy national chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala, over his lifestyle following the emergence of the ongoing leadership crisis within the opposition party.

Nwosu alleged that Bala, who previously depended on him and other party members for transportation expenses to attend meetings in Abuja, suddenly began living in expensive hotels and moving around with security personnel and bulletproof sport utility vehicles (SUVs) after approaching the court over the party’s leadership dispute.

The ADC founder made the allegations during an interview on Wednesday with Lagos Talks, where he spoke about the circumstances surrounding the prolonged crisis rocking the party.

He claimed that Bala’s financial circumstances and lifestyle changed significantly after he instituted legal proceedings against the party’s leadership in September 2025.

According to Nwosu, Bala previously struggled to attend meetings in Abuja without financial assistance from other party members.

He alleged that he regularly sent money to the former deputy national chairman to cover his transportation expenses.

However, Nwosu said the situation changed after Bala approached the court to challenge the leadership arrangement within the ADC.

He claimed that Bala subsequently began staying in some of the most expensive hotels and moving around with security operatives.

The former party chairman also alleged that Bala acquired more than three bulletproof SUVs, raising questions about the source of the resources allegedly used to maintain the lifestyle.

“This Bala, he went to court in September; we concluded the process in July, and from that September, he started living in one of the biggest hotels; he started moving around with security. He got bulletproof SUVs, more than three, moving with security,” he said.

During the interview, Nwosu was asked whether Bala might have acquired the vehicles because of concerns about his personal safety.

Responding, the ADC founder acknowledged the possibility but questioned the reported cost of the vehicles, particularly against the financial circumstances he claimed Bala previously experienced.

“Yeah, and then you can buy an SUV that is costing over N500 million. And so on?”

Nwosu further recalled how he allegedly provided financial assistance to Bala whenever the former deputy national chairman was invited to attend meetings in the nation’s capital.

He maintained that Bala could not afford the transportation expenses without support from other party members and would sometimes have to wait for additional money before returning home.

“Before then, when I invite Bala for a meeting in Abuja, he cannot come until I send him either N50,000 to take a bus to come for a meeting, and so on. And he would not leave until we are able to also scratch out money to pay for his transport,” he said.

Beyond his allegations against Bala, Nwosu accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of taking an interest in the internal disagreements within the ADC.

He alleged that certain individuals within the government were working to weaken the opposition party by encouraging divisions among its members.

The ADC founder specifically claimed that the party had recordings which, according to him, captured the president’s chief of staff allegedly encouraging some individuals to remain within the opposition party and undermine its operations.

“We have tapes where the chief of staff to the president was telling some people to stay in ADC and destroy it,” he said.

Nwosu maintained that the internal leadership process of the ADC had been concluded in July 2025 before Bala approached the court in September of the same year.

He insisted that the legal challenge was unnecessary, given that the party had already completed the process of resolving its leadership arrangements.

The former national chairman also accused the Tinubu administration of attempting to weaken opposition figures through financial inducements.

He alleged that the government was prepared to offer increasingly large sums of money to individuals in an attempt to influence their political decisions and weaken opposition parties.

“As far as the incumbent government is concerned, their philosophy is: if you give them N1 billion and they say no, you can top it to N10 billion until they are able to collapse,” he said.

Nwosu further claimed that the alleged attempts to undermine his political position had not succeeded.

He insisted that he remained committed to the ADC despite the disagreements and legal battles surrounding its leadership.

He also maintained that the political pressure surrounding the party was connected to his refusal to abandon his position.

“And they were not able to do it with this man — Ralph Okey Nwosu, and that is what is causing their pain and all they are doing. But I can assure you and all Nigerians, this will not succeed,” he said.

The allegations come amid the prolonged leadership crisis within the ADC, which has involved competing claims over the party’s national leadership and the legitimacy of its interim leadership arrangement.

The dispute became more pronounced after Bala approached the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2025, challenging the emergence of David Mark as national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary following Nwosu’s departure from the position.

Bala’s legal action sought to prevent Mark and other members of the interim leadership from presenting themselves as the party’s recognised national officers.

On November 5, 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a judgment nullifying the Mark-led caretaker committee and invalidating decisions taken by the committee.

The judgment also affected the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

In addition, the court ruled that a resignation letter allegedly signed by Bala could not be regarded as genuine evidence that he had relinquished his position as the party’s deputy national chairman.

The decision further complicated the disagreement over who has the legitimate authority to control the party’s affairs and make decisions on its behalf.

Politics Nigeria had earlier reported that the ADC faction led by David Mark expelled Bala and some other members of the party in April 2026 over alleged anti-party activities.

The expulsion was another major development in the disagreement between the different groups within the party, with the affected members facing questions over their loyalty and conduct.

However, the claims made by the ADC founder during the interview remain allegations.

No independent evidence establishing the alleged source of Bala’s wealth or the claimed involvement of the presidency was presented in the statements provided.