ADC Crisis: Nafiu Bala denies resignation, insists signature was forged

The leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified, as factional national chairman, Nafiu Bala, firmly rejected claims that he resigned as deputy national chairman.

Bala, in a video published by Rariya Hausa, described a circulating resignation letter as fake, insisting the document did not originate from him and that the signature on it was forged.

“I wish to state that this paper did not come from me, and that is not my signature on it. The signature you see there was forged,” he said.

He traced his emergence as acting national chairman to events of July 2, 2025, when the party’s former chairman, Ralph Nwosu, alongside other members of the leadership, announced their resignation.

According to Bala, he was subsequently mandated to oversee the affairs of the party pending the conduct of a national convention.

“On that same day, he told the world that I, along with other people, would continue running the party affairs until the national convention,” Bala stated.

Relying on the party’s constitution, Bala justified his assumption of office, maintaining that he rightfully stepped in as leader following the vacuum created by the resignations.

“According to our party constitution, when there is no leader, the deputy takes over,” he said, declaring his resumption as national chairman.

He also set a benchmark for verifying any official communication from him, stressing that only documents bearing his official letterhead should be considered authentic.

The latest development adds another layer to the protracted dispute between Bala and former Senate President, David Mark, who has consistently maintained that Bala resigned and that the resignation was duly communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in August 2025.

The ongoing legal battle between both factions had earlier prompted INEC to withdraw recognition of the party’s leadership and delist members of the Mark-led executive from its official portal.

However, in a significant twist, the Court of Appeal, on March 12, 2026, dismissed a challenge filed by Mark, describing it as incompetent and lacking merit—an outcome seen as a boost for Bala’s faction.

Despite the ruling, the leadership tussle remains unresolved, leaving the ADC in a state of uncertainty as political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.