A faction of the African Democratic Congress loyal to the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, on Sunday adopted him as its sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election and simultaneously dissolved the National Working Committee led by former Senate President David Mark, deepening a bitter leadership crisis that has split the party into two rival blocs.
The decisions were taken at a special national convention and presidential primary held in Abuja, where delegates adopted Kachikwu through a voice vote and immediately installed a new set of national officers to replace the existing NWC.
The faction’s newly elected national chairman, Alhaji Abdulkadir Mohammed Bashir, presented the party’s flag to Kachikwu, describing him as the candidate entrusted with the responsibility of leading the party into the 2027 polls.
Bashir said the crisis within the party arose from attempts by certain individuals to dominate its leadership structure against the provisions of the party’s constitution, stressing that no individual was bigger than the party and that political parties must operate within the framework of the law. He praised Kachikwu for refusing to escalate tensions throughout the dispute and described him as honest and intellectually capable.
In his acceptance remarks, Kachikwu pledged to lead an issue-based campaign focused on national unity, economic recovery, and inclusive governance ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying Nigeria was at a critical stage and needed courageous leadership to tackle insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment, and social division.
On governance, Kachikwu maintained that public officials must rely on the same healthcare, education, and social services used by ordinary citizens, arguing this would promote accountability and improve service delivery.
The convention produced a new NWC whose members included Kingsley Oggah as Board of Trustees chairman, Johnny Tovie Derek as deputy national chairman, Kennedy O. Odion as national secretary, Joe Aroh as national treasurer, and Chris Ugwu as national legal adviser.
The development sets up a direct collision with the Mark-led faction of the party. The Mark-led ADC is the faction currently recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, and it was scheduled to hold its own presidential primary on Monday, a matter of hours after Kachikwu’s convention concluded.
The David Mark faction emerged from the political realignments that preceded the 2027 election cycle. Mark joined the ADC in 2025 as part of a broader opposition coalition seeking to challenge the ruling APC, with ADC founder Ralph Nwosu stepping down alongside members of the existing NWC and endorsing Mark as interim national chairman.
Kachikwu had consistently opposed that takeover, previously describing the politicians who moved into the ADC as enemies of Nigeria and accusing them of packaging the party’s structure for Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambitions. His faction maintained throughout the dispute that only activities conducted under the authority of the party’s National Executive Committee would be recognised as valid, warning members against participating in any parallel arrangements by rival factions.
With both factions now holding separate conventions and naming separate presidential candidates, the battle for INEC’s recognition of the ADC’s legitimate leadership is set to intensify, with the courts likely to determine which structure ultimately controls the party’s platform going into 2027.
