The African Democratic Congress is caught in a desperate race against time, with party congresses scheduled to begin in just four days, a court hearing set for eight days later, and the Independent National Electoral Commission refusing to recognise or monitor any of its activities.
At the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, a packed hall of opposition figures, party members, and supporters gathered to chart a path forward — but the path remains unclear, the clock unforgiving, and the stakes existential.
The Timeline Crisis
The ADC has fixed dates for its internal processes:
Meanwhile, the court is expected to hear the substantive case again on April 17 — three days after the party’s planned national convention.
Miss these windows, and the race could be over before it even begins.
The party faces a brutal dilemma: Move ahead without INEC, and risk everything being voided later. Or wait for the courts, and risk missing the election entirely.
“We have given INEC 21 days’ notice. They have accepted the notice. So whether they come or not, we’ll continue with our congresses,” declared Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC.
At the centre of the gathering stood Aisha Yesufu, frontline activist serving as Deputy Chairman of the committee overseeing Membership, Revalidation, Mobilisation and Registration within the ADC.
Dressed in her trademark blue-grey hijab, she stood composed, her posture firm, her gaze steady.
“We are not intimidated. We are not afraid. We are not thinking of giving up,” she said.
Then she added, more quietly but with weight: “Nigeria is at war. Going into 2027, Nigeria is at war, and we are fighting for our lives and the soul of this nation.”
The gathering drew an unprecedented assembly of opposition figures: Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Rauf Aregbesola, Rotimi Amaechi, Liyel Imoke, Dino Melaye, Solomon Dalung, and Victor Umeh.
Their presence was not mere attendance — it was a signal.
The crisis began on September 2, 2025, when a suit was filed at the Federal High Court questioning the legitimacy of the current ADC leadership.
The claimant, Nafiu Bala Gombe, is asking the court to recognise him as acting national chairman and to stop the current leadership under former Senate President David Mark from operating.
On March 12, 2026, the Court of Appeal made a key decision. It did not decide who is right. Instead, it ordered all parties to maintain the “status quo ante bellum” and warned against any action that could render the final judgment useless.
In simple terms: pause everything.
But politics rarely pauses just because the courts say so.
After the Court of Appeal ruling, INEC withdrew recognition from all sides. It stopped dealing with the party. It said it would not monitor any activities.
