ADC crisis deepens as Kachikwu loyalists form third faction, appoint interim chair

A third faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) loyal to Dumebi Kachikwu has emerged in Abuja, appointing Kingsley Temitope as interim chairman while backing the electoral body’s de-recognition of the David Mark-led executive.

The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) intensified on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, as a third faction loyal to the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, emerged in Abuja. During a press briefing, the group declared its total support for the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision to withdraw recognition from the David Mark-led leadership in compliance with a recent Court of Appeal ruling. The new faction appointed the Kogi State Chairman of the party, Kingsley Temitope, as its interim national chairman and vehemently disowned the rival Nafiu Bala Gombe camp, alleging that Gombe did not emerge through any credible or constitutional process. “We hereby disassociate ourselves from David Mark and his exco and all the actions taken by him which are not binding on us. We also distance ourselves from the Nafiu Bala Gombe group and all the actions purportedly taken by him,” the group stated in a communique read by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Obinna Don Norman.

The Temitope-led faction, comprised of several state chairmen, accused former National Chairman Chief Ralph Nwosu of attempting to “transfer” the party to non-members led by Senator Mark. The group claimed that Mark and his executive members were ineligible for leadership because they had not been members of the ADC for the two-year period stipulated by the party’s constitution. Consequently, they declared that the congresses slated for Wednesday were unconstitutional and lacked National Executive Committee (NEC) ratification. However, the Mark-led executive dismissed the new faction’s moves as “opportunistic,” with National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi asserting that “at the end of the day, the courts will decide” the legitimate leadership of the embattled party.

Amidst this internal fragmentation, the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) sparked further controversy by stating that “heavens will not fall” if the ADC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are excluded from the 2027 ballot due to their ongoing internal instabilities. This rhetoric drew a sharp rebuke from the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, who warned that Nigeria is sliding toward a dictatorship. Adams called for greater tolerance of opposition parties, stressing that a healthy democracy requires a robust opposition to check the excesses of the ruling party. As the various ADC camps prepare for further legal battles, the electoral commission remains distanced from the Mark-led group, leaving the party’s participation in upcoming political cycles in significant doubt.

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