Nafiu Bala faction disowns Ibadan O opposition summit

By Abubakar Yunusa

The national leadership of the African Democratic Congress under the Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe faction has distanced itself from the recently convened National Summit of Opposition Political Parties held in Ibadan, insisting that the party had no involvement in the gathering.

The faction also assured its members and supporters across the country of the party’s readiness to fully participate in the 2027 general elections.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the party’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Christopher Okechukwu, the ADC described the summit as a gathering of individuals driven by personal political ambitions.

The party said those who attended the summit under the ADC banner were not recognised members of the party.

Okechukwu stated that the legitimate national leadership of the party, under the tutelage of Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, was formally disassociating itself from what it described as the “so-called National Summit of Opposition Political Parties.”

He said the ADC, as a principled opposition party, would not align itself with what it termed a coalition of disgruntled political actors.

According to him, such individuals were motivated by desperation and personal interests rather than the collective good of the country.

He alleged that some of the persons involved had previously acted in defiance of a subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal by unlawfully organising congresses and a national convention.

The party maintained that those individuals had now gone further by presenting themselves at the Ibadan summit as bona fide members of the ADC.

“For the avoidance of doubt and for the record, we state unequivocally that they are not members of our party,” Okechukwu said.

He further described their participation in the summit as “a reunion of former PDP members masquerading under a false banner.”

The faction reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law, stressing that it remained a law-abiding political party awaiting the judgment of the Supreme Court on the leadership tussle.

The party expressed confidence that the apex court’s verdict, expected soon, would provide clarity on the dispute.

Despite the internal wrangling, the faction assured party faithful that preparations for the 2027 polls were already in motion.

It pledged to field credible candidates for all elective positions across the country in line with the party’s constitutional mandate and democratic principles.

The statement comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, as opposition parties and interest groups intensify consultations on possible alliances.