By Our Political Correspondent
The ADC faction loyal to former Senate President David Mark and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar held a midnight meeting on Wednesday, insiders have confirmed. The meeting came as he Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the leadership crisis rocking the party few hours from now.
The meeting, held at Mark’s Abuja residence, brought together key stakeholders of the coalition group that seized control of the ADC few months ago. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar confirmed the gathering via his social media handles late Wednesday, describing it as “productive.”
But beneath the diplomatic gloss lies growing panic.
The Supreme Court is set to rule on Thursday, April 30, on which faction between the David Mark-led bloc and the Nafiu Bala Gombe group is the authentic leadership of the ADC . The judgment, which will be delivered at 2 p.m., could either legitimize Mark’s takeover or hand the party back to its original owners.
For Mark, Atiku, and their coalition of opposition refugees, the stakes could not be higher.
The Hostile Takeover That Shook ADC
For nearly two decades, the ADC was a minor player in Nigerian politics—registered but largely irrelevant. That changed in July 2025, when a coalition of opposition politicians led by Atiku Abubakar, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, and a host of former governors stormed the party and announced a hostile takeover .
The coalition included big names: former governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), and former PDP national chairman Uche Secondus .
They appointed Mark as interim National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary, positioning the ADC as the flagship platform of the opposition for the 2027 elections.
But there was a problem: they did it without following the party’s constitution. Critics pointed out that Mark and Aregbesola had not been members of the ADC for the mandatory two years required to assume leadership positions . They also ignored a subsisting court order advising against any escalatory action .
The original ADC leadership, led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, cried foul. According to Gombe, the Mark faction was nothing more than “a private coalition platform” hijacked by political elites in a desperate bid to challenge the ruling APC’s dominance .
“Heading to court,” Gombe declared, and that was the beginning of the legal war that now concludes on Thursday.
Adamawa: The Cracks That Became a Canyon
While the legal battle raged at the national level, the ADC’s foundations in the states began to crumble. Nowhere was this more evident than in Adamawa State—Atiku’s political home base .
What Atiku once called a “coalition of titans”—comprising himself, Senator Aisha Binani, Senator Ishaku Abbo, and the Nyako political dynasty—has imploded spectacularly .
On April 18, 2026, just days before the Supreme Court hearing, Binani’s faction announced a mass resignation from the ADC. The stakeholders, drawn from Adamawa’s three senatorial zones, cited “systematic exclusion, imposition, and intimidation of genuine members” by the party leadership as the primary reason for their exit .
The group declared the recently conducted party congresses “null, void, and of no consequence,” accusing the leadership of ignoring valid court orders and conducting sham exercises to impose pre-selected candidates .
“We unanimously mandate Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani to lead stakeholders in determining and transitioning into a viable political platform for the 2027 general elections,” the communique read .
Days later, Senator Ishaku Abbo followed suit, announcing his defection and urging his supporters to remain calm as he transitions to a new party .
Abbo, known for his blunt talk, did not mince words about the crisis.
“Politics is war, you don’t win by being nice,” he declared . He also delivered a chilling warning: the ADC’s disobedience of court orders was “a nuclear weapon in the hands of APC” that could lead to the party’s disqualification from the 2027 elections .
Abbo cited the “Plateau precedent”—the legal disaster that saw all PDP candidates in Plateau State lose their seats in the 2023 cycle because the party ignored a court order . “I do not want to lose my seat to the courts again,” he said, “and I do not want anyone else to suffer my affliction” .
The exit of Binani and Abbo is a devastating blow to Atiku’s political machinery. Without these grassroots mobilizers, the ADC’s chances of wrestling Adamawa from the APC in 2027—a state Atiku desperately needs to win—are slim to none .
Why Are High-Profile Figures Fleeing?
Beyond the legal uncertainty, there are deeper structural issues driving the exodus from ADC. First, the party lacks the financial muscle to sustain a national campaign. Governors are the main financiers of Nigerian political parties, and the ADC has only one sitting governor—Seyi Makinde of Oyo State—who is still aligned with it .
Makinde, who is reportedly bankrolling the Mark faction through his PDP connections, is seen by many as an “immature politician” who lacks the financial war chest and political cunning of a godfather like Nyesom Wike.
Analysts suggest Makinde is using the ADC for his own post-governorship survival rather than genuinely building a national platform .
Second, the party remains a faction, not a merger. Each leader in the coalition operates as a free agent, ready to jump ship at any time. Peter Obi, for instance, has reportedly soured on Atiku and is shopping for a free presidential ticket elsewhere .
Third, the ongoing legal battles have created an atmosphere of uncertainty. The ADC’s own lawyers have warned that unless the Supreme Court delivers judgment promptly, the party risks being excluded from the 2027 elections entirely .
When the party cannot guarantee it will even be on the ballot, ambitious politicians naturally look elsewhere.
What Next? The Plot to Jump Ship
The midnight meeting at David Mark’s residence was likely a contingency planning session. According to sources familiar with the discussions, factions are weighing three scenarios.
The first scenario is a favorable Supreme Court verdict. If the court rules in Mark’s favour, the faction will move to consolidate control, possibly bringing in more PDP and SDP defectors to bolster the coalition. But given the legal violations committed during the takeover, this is considered unlikely by many legal observers .
The second scenario is the unfavourable verdict. If the court rules against Mark, the coalition faces an immediate crisis. The party structure they have spent a year building could be declared illegitimate, and INEC would likely revert recognition to the Gombe faction .
In this scenario, Atiku, Makinde, and their allies would be forced to seek a new political platform. The Labour Party (LP), SDP, and even a return to the PDP are all being considered. Makinde’s financial backing would be critical in whichever direction they go.
The APC’s dominant position in the National Assembly—with 282 members—makes it an attractive destination for politicians who simply want to be on the winning side .
Several ADC members have already defected to the APC in recent months, citing the party’s crisis and the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of President Bola Tinubu .
If the Supreme Court rules against the Mark faction on Thursday, that trickle could become a flood.
What They Are Saying
Speaking through his counsel, Shuaibu Aruwa (SAN), the Mark-led ADC has been pushing the Supreme Court for an expedited ruling, warning that any delay would “disenfranchise millions of Nigerians” and “deny them their constitutional right to freely associate” .
But the opposition camp—the Gombe faction—has accused the Mark group of trying to “build something on nothing,” pointing out that a party cannot be built on the violation of its own constitution .
As of press time, the Mark faction’s midnight meeting had concluded, but no official statement had been issued. Sources suggest the group is prepared for either outcome, with contingency plans already mapped out.
But the signs are not encouraging. When Binani and Abbo—two of the coalition’s most prominent faces in Adamawa—jump ship before the Supreme Court even delivers its verdict, it signals a loss of confidence in the project.
The ADC was supposed to be the great hope of Nigerian opposition—a coalition capable of challenging the APC’s dominance. Instead, it has become a textbook case of how not to build a political party: ignore court orders, trample on party constitutions, and hope the judiciary bails you out.
Thursday’s verdict will determine the fate of the ADC. But for many of its key figures, the exit door is already wide open.
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