The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recognised the new National Working Committee (NWC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), officially listing former Senate President David Mark as the party’s national chairman.
The updated leadership, published on INEC’s website, affirms the interim team constituted in July after opposition figures and ADC leaders adopted the party as a coalition platform for the 2027 elections.
Mark leads the new team with former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as interim secretary and ex-Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi as spokesperson, alongside other appointed NWC members.
The coalition platform has attracted heavyweight politicians including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-PDP chairman Uche Secondus, former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and former APC chairman Odigie Oyegun.
The reshuffle followed the July 2 resignation of the previous NWC, announced by ADC founder Ralph Nwosu, who endorsed the new leadership structure.
But the move has triggered divisions within the party. Nafiu Bala, the ADC’s 2019 governorship candidate in Gombe, has declared himself national chairman, while the Concerned State Chairmen group rejected the coalition, accusing its promoters of attempting a “hijack.” The group insisted “the ADC is not for sale” and urged coalition leaders to form a new party instead.