The ruling All Progressives Congress ridiculed the African Democratic Congress on Wednesday for its leadership issue, claiming the opposition party was incapable of running its own affairs, much less taking on the APC before 2027.
The drama ensued after Nafiu Bala, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, proclaimed himself the party’s new national chairman.
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Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Bala maintained that he had taken over as the “authentic” chairman, claiming that he was the legitimate heir to Ralph Nwosu, who resigned after the opposition coalition accepted the party a few months prior, in accordance with the Electoral Act and the ADC’s constitution.
Former Senate President David Mark was named interim chairman after Nwosu resigned, but Bala rejected the appointment, claiming that coalition leaders, notably former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had taken over the ADC.
“As far as our party is concerned, the constitution is clear. Once the national chairman resigns, the deputy chairman takes over. I have therefore resumed as the authentic national chairman of the ADC,” Bala declared.
But in a swift response, ADC’s National Spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed Bala as a “charlatan” seeking attention.
He maintained that the party would not elevate Bala’s declaration with additional responses and charged that the media was spreading “baseless claims.”
Bala Ibrahim, the APC’s director of publicity, responded to the ADC crisis by disparaging the ADC’s internal strife as a sign of weakness.
He disputed that the APC was involved in the opposition problem, stating that the ruling party was more concerned with carrying out President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda than with causing instability among the opposition.
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“The APC cannot condescend to the level of creating problems for an opposition party that is daily losing grip on political activities. In the recent by-elections, out of 16 contested seats, APC won 13. The ADC could not win even one. Clearly, it is not a force to reckon with,” he said.
