A faction of the African Democratic Congress led by National Chairman Nafiu Bala Gombe has ordered former vice president Atiku Abubakar to stop claiming he's the party's 2027 presidential candidate. Nafiu issued the directive in a statement on Tuesday, making clear that Atiku "is not and has never been the Presidential Candidate of the ADC for the 2027 General Elections".
The faction boss gave Atiku seven days to issue a public apology to party members and stakeholders for making unauthorized statements on behalf of the ADC. "Failure to comply with the above demand within the stipulated period, we shall seek appropriate legal redress," Nafiu said.
Nafiu also instructed Atiku to stop using the party's name, logo, and emblem in spreading what he called falsehoods and misinformation about the ADC. The chairman demanded that the former VP "refrain forthwith" from such actions.
He separately called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to remove members of the Senator David Mark-led National Working Committee from its portal. Nafiu wants INEC to recognize what he termed the "only authentic members" of the party's NWC in line with a recent court judgment.
According to him, the court ruling "directed INEC to withdraw recognition from the David Mark-led NWC and further invalidate all decisions, resolutions, and actions taken by the committee." The faction argues that INEC must comply with the judgment by updating its records immediately.
The move marks another escalation in the ongoing internal feud within the ADC, with competing groups claiming legitimacy and control of the party's structures. The dispute centres on who holds the authentic leadership of the opposition party ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
