ADC Crisis: TMS Accuses Atiku, Obi Of Hijacking Parties

The Tinubu Must Stay (TMS) Movement has accused opposition politicians of taking over existing political parties to pursue personal presidential ambitions, abandoning them when their political calculations fail.

The movement said the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) reflected a pattern in which influential politicians move between political parties in search of platforms to contest elections rather than build sustainable political institutions.

Director-General of TMS, Marcel Ngogbehei, made the allegation while reacting to the November 5 Federal High Court judgment on the ADC leadership dispute.

Ngogbehei said the recurring practice of taking over party structures and sidelining founding members was undermining internal democracy and weakening political institutions.

He cited the involvement of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the ADC coalition and the political movements of former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as examples of what the movement described as instability in opposition politics.

According to him, influential politicians adopted the ADC as a platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, a development he said had created tensions over the party’s leadership and ownership.

The movement also recalled Obi’s emergence on the Labour Party platform ahead of the 2023 general election, arguing that his entry into the party was followed by prolonged leadership disagreements.

Obi left the Labour Party in December 2025 for the ADC before moving to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in May 2026, according to the statement.

TMS said the movement of prominent politicians between parties raised questions about their commitment to building political organisations capable of surviving beyond individual ambitions.

The group said the ADC crisis had exposed the consequences of disputes over party leadership, particularly when established political figures seek to use existing structures to pursue electoral goals.

The Federal High Court, on November 5, invalidated the David Mark-led leadership structure of the ADC and Atiku’s presidential nomination following a legal challenge by former ADC Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe.

The ADC has indicated its intention to appeal the judgment.

TMS called on Nigerians to assess political parties and their candidates based on their commitment to internal democracy, organisational stability and respect for party structures ahead of the 2027 general election.

The movement also argued that the strength of a democracy depended not only on the number of political parties or the prominence of their candidates but on the ability of political institutions to operate independently of individual interests.