‘Delegates, Officials’ Absent As Nafiu Bala-led ADC Faction’s Convention Fails To Hold In Abuja

The venue slated for the ‘national convention’ of the Nafiu Bala-led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abuja was deserted on Tuesday, with no sign of party delegates, officials, or any preparations for the much-publicised event.

The convention, scheduled to hold at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, failed to commence as the facility remained completely empty at the expected start time.

A correspondent from TV Platinum, whose live report was monitored on Facebook, described a quiet and inactive venue.

“We are live at the national stadium in Abuja where the Nafiu-Bala-led faction of ADC is expected to hold their national convention,” the reporter said.

“Now as you can see, the venue is empty. There is nobody here. No preparation ongoing. No delegate, no party members. The whole place is empty. Everywhere is empty. The velodrome is locked.”

The development highlighted the deepening leadership crisis within the ADC, as rival factions continued to contest control of the party structure ahead of the 2027 general election.

Recall that Bala’s faction had fixed April 21, 2026, for its convention, days after a parallel exercise held on April 14 by an ADC faction led by former Senate President, David Mark.

Bala had earlier dismissed the Mark-led convention as “a nullity,” alleging it violated a subsisting court judgement and lacked legal backing.

“The noticeable absence of the Independent National Electoral Commission from the convention strongly indicates that the process lacks official recognition and cannot stand judicial scrutiny as to its legitimacy,” Bala had said.

He also accused the rival faction of unconstitutional actions and alleged forgery of documents bearing his signature.

Bala further rejected claims that the Mark-led coalition had legitimately adopted the ADC as a platform ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the move as a coordinated attempt to hijack the party without due process.

Maintaining that his faction remained the legitimate leadership, Bala insisted that members of the opposing camp lacked the authority to organise conventions or take binding decisions on behalf of the party.

The crisis has since moved to the courts, with the matter before Justice Emeka Nwite.

Also, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would not recognise any of the factional leaders of the party citing an Appeal Court’s order.

In a press release dated April 1, 2026, INEC said it had received conflicting demands from both sides.

After reviewing the court order and filings, Mohammed Haruna, INEC commissioner for information and voter education, said the commission will refrain from engaging with both groups or monitoring their meetings, congresses, and conventions.

The commission said at its meeting that it resolved “to maintain the status quo ante bellum as directed by the court of appeal based on the facts and position of the parties existing before 2nd September 2025, when the case was filed by the plaintiff”.

INEC added that it would “refrain from taking any step or doing any act capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court or otherwise rendering nugatory the proceedings before the trial court, in line with the appellate court’s directive.”

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official explanation from Nafiu Bala’s faction regarding the absence of activity at the venue, raising further questions about the fate of the planned convention and who actually controls the party’s structure.