The internal crisis plaguing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) deepened on Tuesday as state chairmen of the party strongly opposed what they described as an unconstitutional attempt to seize control of the party by a coalition led by former Senate President, Senator David Mark.
In a joint statement titled “Rejecting the Political Junta by Defending ADC and Nigeria’s Democracy Against Subversion”, the Forum of Concerned State Chairmen, led by Elias Adokwu and Publicity Secretary Godwin Alaku, accused the coalition of orchestrating a “political coup” through manipulation and backdoor dealings.
Describing the move as a “blatant and reckless subversion” of both party structures and Nigeria’s democratic values, the chairmen issued a stern warning against what they termed a civilian junta masked as political realignment.
“We unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms this desperate power grab, which represents not only an aberration of democratic norms but also a grave assault on our collective political values as a nation,” the statement read.
The forum further dismissed the alleged coalition as a group of political opportunists lacking electoral value or ideological clarity.
According to them, the attempted takeover is driven by personal ambition rather than any genuine political or ideological interest.
They also reaffirmed the ADC’s commitment to democratic governance, rule of law, and ideological integrity, insisting the party would not serve as a platform for “political mercenaries or ideological impostors.”
“The ADC is not for sale, not for hijack, and certainly not a dumping ground for discredited power brokers,” the chairmen declared.
Calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject any effort to legitimise what they described as an illegitimate junta, the chairmen also urged civil society and the general public to resist any drift towards authoritarianism within the political space.
“We, the legitimate custodians of the ADC structure across all states of the federation, reject this illegitimate junta.
We consider it our patriotic duty to defend the soul of the ADC and protect the sanctity of democratic structures in Nigeria,” the statement concluded.