The internal crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kogi State escalated significantly on Saturday as a faction led by House of Representatives member Leke Joseph Abejide elected new state executives and formally endorsed President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
The move deepens the existing division between Abejide’s group and the faction recognized by the party’s national leadership, which includes prominent figures like Senators David Mark, Tunde Ogbeha, and Dino Melaye, with Kingsley Ogga serving as state chairman.
During an expanded stakeholders’ meeting attended by party leaders from all nine federal constituencies in the state, Abejide’s faction filled what they described as vacant positions created by deaths, resignations, and officials who had abandoned their duties. The gathering saw the election of Hon. (Chief) Sunday Maiyaki as the new State Chairman and Hon. Mamman Akpena as State Secretary, among other positions.
The meeting took on a decidedly confrontational tone as speaker after speaker from across the state’s federal constituencies reaffirmed the expulsion of Kingsley Ogga, whom they described as a “self-acclaimed leader of an illegal coalition working against the interests of the party.” Representatives from Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu, Yagba, Lokoja/Koto, and other constituencies unanimously endorsed the party’s restructuring efforts and declared support for both Abejide’s re-election to the House of Representatives and President Tinubu’s second term bid.
In his address, Abejide directly challenged the ADC’s national leadership, lamenting how former National Chairman Chief Ralph Nwosu had allegedly abdicated his position in violation of the party’s constitution. He dismissed claims of his own expulsion from the party as “baseless” and described a notice signed by Senator Dino Melaye as a sign of “desperation and misinformation.”
“No amount of impunity imported from external forces will be allowed to destabilise the ADC in Kogi State,” Abejide declared, adding that he would resist any attempt to undermine him or President Tinubu, whom he characterized as “a political strategist and a leader with the capacity to transform Nigeria.”
The faction further solidified its position by publicly reading a letter from the ADC stakeholders of Odo-Ara/Omi/Ogga Ward in Yagba West Local Government, which detailed the offences that led to Ogga’s expulsion and affirmed that he no longer holds any legitimate position within the party.
The political gathering culminated in Abejide making a formal motion for the Kogi ADC to adopt President Tinubu as its preferred presidential candidate for 2027, recalling that the party in Kogi had unanimously supported Tinubu in the 2023 elections, except for what he termed the “defunct national chairman.” The motion was met with widespread applause and declarations from speakers promising to deliver their polling units for both Tinubu and Abejide.
In his acceptance speech, the newly elected State Chairman, Sunday Maiyaki, thanked Abejide, whom he described as the “indefatigable and indisputable landlord of the ADC,” and pledged to lead with integrity while joining the chorus of support for Tinubu’s re-election.
The meeting concluded with stakeholders reaffirming their loyalty to Abejide’s leadership and their collective resolution to secure victory for both the federal lawmaker and President Tinubu in the 2027 elections, signaling a new phase of political alignment for the faction in Kogi State.
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