Presidency Tackles ADC Over Claim Of Plot To Make Tinubu Sole Candidate

By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah and Chibuzo Ukaibe

The Presidency and the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) have exchanged words over claims of a plot to make President Bola Tinubu the sole candidate in the 2027 presidential election.

The ADC, yesterday, alleged that some powerful members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise an expelled member, Mr Nafiu Bala Gombe, as the new ADC national chairman.

The opposition party, while claiming the move was aimed at weakening what’s left of the opposition, said an APC governor was spearheading it in collaboration with a senior security official based in Abuja.

However, the villa dismissed ADC’s allegations of a plot to destabilise the opposition party ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing it as a wild and baseless claim.

Special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the claims as baseless, insisting that the issues raised by the ADC were purely internal matters for the party to resolve.

Onanuga, in a reply to an enquiry by LEADERSHIP yesterday over ADC’s claims, said the ruling party or the president had nothing to do with the crisis within the ADC.

“This is an ADC party matter. Let the party resolve its internal issues and stop its wild accusations against the APC and President Tinubu,” Onanuga said.

The presidential aide added that the electoral umpire was capable of speaking for itself on issues concerning party leadership and recognition.

“INEC will speak for itself,” the presidential aide said.

Calls and text messages sent to the national publicity secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, over the claims were not responded to as of press time.

Also, the deputy director of publicity at INEC, Wilfred Ifogah, declined to comment on the matter when contacted.

Earlier, ADC national publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, had claimed that powerful figures within the ruling party were reportedly plotting to impose Mr Gombe on the party’s leadership.

The party also asserted that its leadership remained under Senator David Mark, citing a combined meeting of its National Working Committee and National Executive Committee witnessed by INEC officials, in July 2025.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged a plot by the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerges unopposed as the only serious contender on the ballot in 2027.

The opposition party said the plot follows a move by powerful figures within the ruling APC to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Mr Nafiu Bala Gombe as ADC national chairman.

The ADC said Gombe had been expelled from the party.

ADC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement, said elements within the ruling establishment wanted to manufacture confusion within the ADC and weaken the only viable opposition platform left in the country.

The party’s spokesman said there was no legal basis for confusion, as its leadership remains under Senator David Mark following a combined meeting of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee, witnessed by INEC officials, in July 2025.

He also recalled that on March 6 this year, a Federal High Court dismissed a case challenging Mark’s leadership of the party, affirming a well- grounded Supreme Court judgement that matters of leadership are wholly the internal affair of political parties.

Abdullahi said the party would employ every legitimate means to resist plots by anti-democratic forces within the ruling party to end competitive democracy in Nigeria.

According to him, the brazen attempt to undermine and destabilise the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections is being “driven by an APC governor in collaboration with a senior security official based in Abuja as part of the plot to impose President Tinubu on Nigerians as the sole presidential contender in 2027.

“At the centre of this scheme is Mr Nafiu Bala Gombe, an expelled member of the ADC who has recently been parading himself as a leader of the party while collaborating with external political interests.

“Mr Gombe, who once claimed to be deputy national chairman under the former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu, was duly expelled from the ADC after engaging in actions that were inconsistent with the party’s constitution, its principles, and the collective decisions of its leadership.”

The ADC spokesman said it was shocking, though not surprising, that elements within the ruling establishment are now attempting to use him as a willing instrument of destabilisation and plot to forcefully take over the leadership of the ADC.

“The objective is clear: to manufacture confusion within the ADC, sponsor illegitimate leadership claims, and ultimately cripple the only credible opposition platform that Nigerians are increasingly looking to as a genuine alternative, thereby leaving Nigerians no choice in the next general election, despite widespread suffering that the ruling party has brought on the people,” Abdullahi said.

He recalled that INEC witnessed and acknowledged the formal recognition of the David Mark leadership in September 2025.

He said INEC’s formal recognition of the Mark-led ADC was preceded by a transfer of leadership to the coalition led by Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola in July 2025, via a combined meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC), which was also witnessed by officials of INEC.

“We, therefore, wonder at the level of desperation that is driving these anti-democratic forces to continue in their sinister efforts to impose expelled individuals on the party or manipulate its internal structures through external political pressure on judges and electoral officials.

“Nigeria’s democracy cannot thrive where the ruling party seeks to capture, infiltrate, or manufacture opposition parties for its own political convenience and survival.

“Such actions represent a dangerous assault on democratic pluralism and the constitutional right of Nigerians to freely organise and support credible political alternatives,” he said.

The opposition party, therefore called on the general public, party members, and democratic institutions to disregard the activities and claims of Mr Gombe and those backing his illegitimate adventure.

“We know them and their game plans, and we will resist them by all means necessary. We will defend our democracy.

“The ADC remains united, focused, and committed to building a strong democratic alternative for Nigerians. No amount of intimidation, infiltration, or political engineering will derail this mission,” Abdullahi added.