Members of the African Democratic Congress have again staged a protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja over a worsening leadership dispute within the opposition party.
The latest demonstration, held on Thursday, was led by supporters of Nafiu Bala, who is also laying claim to the party’s national chairmanship position.
Bala, alongside House of Representatives member Leke Abejide, called on INEC to recognise him as the authentic national chairman of the ADC.
The protest comes a day after another faction of the party also demonstrated at the INEC headquarters, highlighting the deepening crisis over the party’s leadership.
The ADC is currently divided into at least three factions laying claim to control of its structure, including groups aligned with David Mark, Nafiu Bala, and 2023 presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu.
Earlier, the Mark-led faction staged its own protest, attended by prominent political figures including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf Aregbesola, Aminu Tambuwal, and Dino Melaye.
That group accused INEC of bias and alleged collaboration with the ruling All Progressives Congress to weaken opposition parties, allegations the commission has not publicly addressed.
The crisis stems from internal disagreements following the resignation of former ADC national chairman Ralph Nwosu, after the party was adopted by an opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Although rival factions have since claimed control of the party leadership, INEC has declined to recognise any group pending a court ruling on the dispute.
The matter remains before the courts, with earlier rulings and appeals yet to fully resolve the leadership question.
