The factional National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala, has rejected reports claiming he resigned from his position, describing the circulating resignation letter as fake and forged.
Bala’s denial comes amid a deepening leadership crisis within the opposition party and shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced fresh decisions affecting the ADC’s structure.
In a viral video message delivered in Hausa, Bala categorically denied authoring the purported resignation letter, insisting that the signature on the document was not his.
“My name is Hon. Nafiu Bala, the ADC acting national chairman,” he said. “I would like to use this opportunity to address a document currently circulating, which claims that I resigned from my position as national vice chairman on May 17th.
“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.”
Bala maintained that he remains in office and assumed leadership of the party following the exit of its former executives.
“If you didn’t forget, on the 2nd of July, we attended the event where some people showed interest in joining our party, the ADC,” he said. “On that day, the former ADC chairman, Ralph Nwosu, announced that he, his secretary, and other party leaders were stepping down from their positions.”
According to Bala, his current role as acting national chairman aligns with the party’s constitution, which empowers a deputy to take over in the absence of a substantive leader.
“Because of that, I am resuming office today as the ADC national chairman. According to our party constitution, when there is no leader, the deputy takes over,” he added.
He further dismissed the controversial letter as inconsistent with official procedure, stressing that any legitimate communication from him would carry his formal letterhead. “Any letter not containing my letterhead is not from me,” Bala said.
This is not the first time Bala has disowned the document; he had earlier described it as “entirely false, deceptive, malicious and fake.”
The latest development comes against the backdrop of a worsening crisis that has split the ADC into rival factions, each claiming legitimacy.
Tensions escalated on Thursday when armed soldiers and heavily armed police operatives took over the headquarters of INEC in Abuja, following threats of a mass protest by aggrieved party members.
The heavy security deployment followed INEC’s decision to remove the names of key party figures—including former Senate President David Mark and ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola—from its official portal as ADC National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
INEC stated that the move complied with preservatory orders issued by the Court of Appeal, directing all parties to maintain the status quo pending the resolution of a legal dispute before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
“The commission shall not receive any further communication or deal with any of the parties or groups… and will not monitor any meeting, congress or convention convened on behalf of the ADC by any group,” INEC said.
The commission also confirmed receiving conflicting communications from rival factions, further complicating the situation and prompting it to suspend recognition of any group until a final court judgment.
The crisis has sparked outrage among party members, with accusations of bias and political interference trailing INEC’s actions. Bala’s latest denial adds another layer of confusion to the already fractured party, as competing factions continue to battle for legitimacy and control of the ADC ahead of crucial political developments.