The African Democratic Congress (ADC) held and concluded its national convention on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 in Abuja, with delegates overwhelmingly voting in favour of constitutional amendments.
Security was beefed up in and around Rainbow Event Centre, venue of the convention as party members started trooping in as early as 10 Am.
Security agencies comprising of the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Mobile Police were at the vicinity.There was traffic due to the number of persons trooping to the venue even as many motorists had to take other routes.Apart from the police, many private security operatives were also seen manning the main entrance to the venue, conducting thorough security checks on delegates before allowing them access.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) took decisive steps at the convention to strengthen party discipline and institutional stability, as 1,576 duly accredited delegates, overwhelmingly ratified the expulsion of certain party chieftains over alleged anti-party activities.
The Convention, which brought together party stakeholders from across the federation, also approved far reaching amendments to the party’s constitution, aimed at reinforcing internal democracy, unity, and effective governance within the party structure.
At the end of the exercise, the Chairman of the ADC Electoral Sub-Committee and former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, announced that 1,576 delegates were accredited, while 11 votes were voided. He added that 1,471 delegates voted in support of the constitutional amendment, representing about 94 per cent approval.
The ADC equally expelled the party’s former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, and a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide. The decision was announced at the national convention.
Others whose expulsions were ratified were: former Deputy National Chairman, Temitope Ogah, Chairman of the Kogi State Chapter and members of the Interim Caretaker Committee which had recently assumed administrative control of the party following the withdrawal of recognition from certain party leaders
The list of others expelled by the party include; Kenneth Ehiator, (Abia State chairman of the party who identified with Dumebi Kachikwu, former presidential candidate, who is also claiming to be the leader of the party), as well as Stella Chukwu and Elias Adiukwu.
A post-convention statement by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary, African Democratic Congress (ADC) formally affirmed the expulsions this:
ADC ANNOUNCES EXPULSION OF ERRING MEMBERS FOLLOWING NATIONAL CONVENTION
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced the expulsion of several members following resolutions reached at its National Convention held on April 14, 2026, in Abuja. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the decision was taken after the adoption of a disciplinary motion against members found to have acted contrary to its constitution and values. The affected individuals have ceased to be members of the party with immediate effect and are now free to explore other political platforms, while the ADC affirmed that any party willing to receive them is at liberty to do so. The party reiterated its commitment to discipline, internal democracy, and the rule of law.
The full statement read:
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) wishes to inform the public that, pursuant to resolutions reached at its National Convention held on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at the Rainbow Event Centre, Garki, Abuja, the Party has approved the expulsion of certain individuals for acts deemed inconsistent with its constitution, values, and disciplinary framework.
The affected individuals are Hon. Leke Abejide, Nafiu Bala Gombe, Mr. Kingsley Temitope Ogga, Mr. Don Norman Obinna, Mr. Kennedy Odion, Mr. Clement Ehigiator, Mrs. Stella Chukwuma, Patrick Ambut, Johny Tovie Derek, Duke Dick, and Elias Adikwu.
This decision followed the consideration and adoption of a motion on the discipline of erring members, duly presented and ratified by delegates at the Convention under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator David Mark, GCON, National Chairman of the Party.
With this action, the affected individuals cease to be members of the African Democratic Congress with immediate effect. Consequently, they are now at liberty to explore other political platforms, and any political party that may wish to receive them is free to do so.
The Party reiterates its unwavering commitment to discipline, internal democracy, and the rule of law. The ADC will continue to uphold the highest standards of accountability as it consolidates its position as a credible and viable alternative for Nigerians.
This bold action, according to the party, underscores the party’s unwavering commitment to discipline, unity, and adherence to its constitutional provisions, while sending a clear message that acts capable of undermining the party’s collective vision will not be tolerated.
The party at the convention also ratified the David Mark-led National Working Committee. The members include:National Secretary; Rauf Aregbesola, Deputy National Chairman, North East; Babachir Lawal and the National Publicity Secretary; Mal. Bolaji Abdullahi among others.
The next step, according to the chairman, media sub committee of the convention, Kola Ologbondiyan, is that the party will notify the INEC about the convention after which it will commence preparations for its primaries. He further added that ,with the successful conduct of the convention, the party has fulfilled its part towards participating in the 2027 general elections.
He said, “What we would do now is to submit the report, having notified INEC earlier”.
Speaking on the status of INEC in relation to the convention, Ologbodiyan noted that it doesn’t matter whether INEC was there to monitor the convention or not since it had been duly notified.
“The court said we should write our report. The law said you should write your report and send to INEC. It is immaterial whether INEC comes to monitor it or not. All the law said is to serve INEC a notice. Serve them the 21- day notice,” he said.
National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark, while speaking at the convention, described the crisis in the party as having to do with generational challenge.
He said: Our objective is not merely political success or a mere quest for power. We see it as a duty to ourselves and to posterity to demonstrate to all Nigerians that something good can come out of politics, and that democracy can actually deliver a better life that they seek. This is the fundamental goal of our party.
“We view this as a generational challenge. And this is why we say to all opposition leaders in the country, regardless of your political party, come, let us work together to save our country. The challenges that we are confronted with goes beyond partisanship, it is a patriotic duty to rescue our country from creeping dictatorship and exploitative governance,“ he said.
In his acceptance speech to serve as national chairman, Senator Mark said he was doing so with a clear sense of duty, adding: “And I accepted it with an unshakable commitment to reposition the ADC as the platform through which Nigeria will be rescued and rebuilt”.
Lamenting the obstacles the party has been facing since the decision to make it the platform for the coalition was concretized, he said, “Since we started this journey, we have faced many challenges, and faced many hurdles. Our party has faced fierce and unprecedented betrayal. Let us not pretend otherwise. Recent developments involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have raised fundamental questions about the process that govern our democracy.
“Forces that feared what a united ADC represents came for us; through the courts, through institutions, through bureaucratic obstruction. They sought to stop this convention from happening. They removed our names from official portals. They denied us preferred venues. They deployed every instrument available to them to ensure that you – the delegates, the members, the owners of this party – would never gather”, he said.
According to Mark, strong political movements are not built in moments of ease and in comfort. They are built in times like this, when a broken nation cries out for change and the people look for those who would lead with commitment and honesty.
“We will not surrender, because what is at stake is not just about the ADC or the opposition. It is the very survival of our democracy. To surrender, therefore, is to yield to tyranny and therefore become complicit in the destruction of our democracy.
“The ADC cannot be wished away. The ADC cannot be litigated into silence. The ADC belongs to the Nigerian people – and the Nigerian people have spoken by showing up today.
“I say to those who orchestrated these obstacles: you have not weakened us. You have welded us together. Every attempt to suppress this party has only deepened the resolve of our members, widened our coalition, and reminded Nigerians why a strong opposition is not optional; it is essential to democracy’s survival.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in his own comments said they are in the battle to win, adding that the federal government should know that they fought the military to bring democracy and “we are going to fight them (present administration) to bring democracy in this country.”
Addressing members of the party at the National Convention, the ADC chieftain appealed to Nigerians, particularly members of the party, to make sure that they work together to change the situation in the country.
He said, “people like me, we must rise and make sure that there is change, genuine change, a serious change to rectify all these challenges that are happening in the country. I am in this game. We are going to win.
“Because of you, the young men and women, our children and our grandchildren, this country has been good to us. We don’t believe that this country is being good to the current generation, to the youth, to the women, and to the future of this country. That is why we are here today.”
He promised that Nigerians will witness “real change”. “You will see real change. Believe me, you cannot get away with corruption in the government of ADC. You cannot get away with compromising with criminals and terrorists to make life impossible in this country. No. That is not what we intend to do. Absolutely not.
“Therefore, it is a struggle for all Nigerians. But I will not end these remarks without indicting the chairman of INEC and INEC itself, because it is clear, it is obvious, the evidence is there. INEC is being used to undermine democracy in this country.
“Let the federal government know that we fought the military to bring democracy in this country, and we are going to fight them to bring democracy,” he said.
He said the INEC chairman knows that “we are not going to let him get away with his illegalities. We will not. And I hope we will have your support and cooperation to make sure we return to true democracy, to true development in all aspects of human endeavor.”
National Secretary of the ADC and former governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, addressing convention delegates declared that Nigeria is on a rescue mission to salvage the country, even as he urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign over what he called the prevailing insecurity and economic hardship in country.
Aregbesola, a former ally of President Tinubu said: “People who deliberately split the Peoples Democratic Party, are today being falsely roped as political strategists. Since when has criminality become a strategy? The ADC does not, and we never owe its existence to any individual or group, including an electoral body masquerading as a neutral umpire with its leadership in the attire of political partisanship.
“The ADC derives its existence from the aspirations and the values of the Nigerian people, who are tired of the deceit and colossal mismanagement to which this country is being subjugated. We owe our existence to the Nigerian Constitution. We declare that freedom of association, including that to form or belong to any political party, is guaranteed and is a fundamental right.
“We are here because the ADC is on a rescue mission to reclaim the country from the strangulating grasp of the ruling party. The APC is a party which has foisted on the country an electoral law that stinks of forgery, and making false claims in electoral documents is no longer valid; in other words, the ruling party is criminalising criminality,” he said.
Aregbesola said members of the opposition cannot allow what he called, “kakistocracy in Nigeria”, adding that “the administration told Nigerians that if it does not solve the power problem by providing a constant power supply, they should not be voted for a second time. Today, power supply is far worse, with some parts of the country receiving an average of two hours daily, and some other parts of the country also receiving an average of two hours daily. And some have been in darkness for stretches of weeks and months.
“Ordinarily, having made such a promise and fared woefully, an honest president should simply step down and not seek re-election. Rather, what we are witnessing is the most desperate attempt by a candidate in Nigeria’s electoral history to retain power at all costs, even if it means bringing down the entire democratic system.”
He said: “Four years ago, this government promised Nigerians renewed hope for a better future”, adding, “three years into its four-year term, it still holds promise and offers renewed hope. When exactly will this hope come into fruition”.
The former minister also condemned the violent attacks across the country that have led to significant loss of lives, describing the situation as a failure of the present administration, even as he criticised the state of education and the economy, claiming that the number of out-of-school children has risen from 18.3 million to nearly 20 million, while many Nigerians have been pushed into extreme poverty.
“Once again, distinguished delegates, the country is drifting, and we cannot allow this continued drift into hopelessness. This is why, as I pointed out earlier, the ADC is on a rescue mission,” he said.
Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, while speaking at the African Democratic Congress (ADC) convention, called for urgent and decisive action to address Nigeria’s worsening security and economic challenges, warning that the country is facing a deepening crisis.
Obi criticized the current administration, citing what he described as a significant decline in national security and a sharp rise in poverty levels.
According to him, conditions across the country have deteriorated considerably since the present government assumed office, with many Nigerians grappling with increased hardship and insecurity.
Obi further expressed concern over Nigeria’s declining position on global terrorism indices, cautioning that the situation could worsen if urgent and strategic interventions are not implemented.
He stressed the need for comprehensive reforms, improved governance, and focused economic policies to reverse the current trend and restore stability in the country.
The former Anambra State governor urged leaders at all levels to prioritize the welfare and safety of citizens, emphasizing that proactive measures are critical to addressing the nation’s pressing challenges.
Former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transportation, Barr. Rotimi Amaechi, in his address, warned that President Bola Tinubu will not willingly relinquish power, urging opposition forces to unite ahead of 2027.
Amaechi called on party leaders to urgently agree on a strong and viable candidate capable of challenging the ruling government.
The former Rivers State governor also accused the administration of undermining democratic principles, particularly the right to political assembly. He questioned alleged attempts to block opposition activities, asking why a government that claims to be democratic would restrict political gatherings.
Amaechi further criticised the state of insecurity in the country, citing ongoing killings, kidnappings, and displacement of citizens. He stressed that opposition unity is critical to confronting the current administration and restoring democratic balance.
In his speech, the ex-governor brought attention to what he saw as a failure of strong leadership to combat crime.
Leadership, he said, must be proactive rather than reactive if we are to restore order and guarantee public safety.
He drew on his experience as governor of Rivers State to explain his view of a better way to handle security threats.
If you want to be a leader, he says you have to be on guard all the time and refuse to budge from your stance on criminal behaviour, no matter how little.
Amaechi stressed that there was an attempt to make sure that no crime went unpunished while he was in office.
He reasoned that by putting pressure on security forces to respond quickly whenever problems happened, this method would establish a sense of accountability and discourage bad behaviour.
In particular, he aimed to highlight the difference in the level of dedication and urgency in the treatment of security matters between the past and the present in his comments.
He hinted that the nation runs the danger of letting insecurity worsen if everybody aren’t equally committed, which might have disastrous results.
“When I was governor of Rivers State, you couldn’t commit a crime, and I would sleep. I wouldn’t sleep until you were arrested. All of us would stay awake until the person was caught,” he said.
Former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, addressing the convention delegates, called on judicial officials, especially the judges, not to allow themselves to be used to destroy.
Speaking on the backdrop of the allegations of bias by opposition figures, Tambuwal said, “We are in very interesting times in Nigeria today where pseudo-democrats have found their way to power and are now manifestly exposing themselves.
“My appeal is not to members of the ADC for now, but to those who are leading our institutions, particularly and of very serious concern to me, the judiciary.”
Speaking further, Tambuwal said, “Let no judge or justice allow himself to be used to destroy Nigeria. History is taking note of our roles as individuals. Our children and grandchildren are watching and looking up to us to serve this country.
“Those of you who are in privileged positions should be accountable and bear in mind that wherever you are writing your judgments or rulings, even if there is no individual by your side, God Almighty is watching over you.
“God Almighty will be the ultimate judge on the Day of Judgment. So be wary of those individuals who will be talking to you to influence you to undermine our judicial system, undermine our country, and undermine democracy.”
Meanwhile, the national convention held amidst claims of attempts to stop the exercise.
Before the arrival of the dignitaries, Senator Dino Melaye, said the convention would go on as planned, in spite of efforts to stop the exercise.
“Yesterday (Monday), there were deliberate efforts to stop us from holding this convention. All the venues we applied for were not approved.
“As at 11 p.m. last night, the owners of this venue attempted to cancel this programme, but we stood our ground, and we will proceed with the convention,” Melaye said.
A summary of the exercise reveals that the African Democratic Congress (ADC), successfully held its National Convention in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Tuesday, April 24, 2036.
The event was graced by prominent political figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi, alongside the national leadership of the party under the legitimate chairman, David Mark.
Despite facing numerous obstacles allegedly orchestrated by the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his allies, the convention remained unstoppable.
Attempts were made to disrupt the process through legal actions aimed at dissolving the party’s leadership, and later through the electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission, by trying to remove the chairman.
When those efforts failed, attention shifted to denying the party access to major venues such as Eagle Square, Moshood Abiola National Stadium, and even top hotels like Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
Eventually, an event center; Rainbow Event Centre, was secured, but even at that, pressure was mounted late into the night to prevent its use. It took the intervention and physical presence of party leaders through the night to ensure the venue remained available.
There were also deliberate attempts to sabotage the event, including cutting off electricity, which was quickly resolved with the provision of generators.
In attendance were nearly 3,000 delegates of which 1,576 were accredited,as well as a large number of party officials, with countless supporters gathered outside the Rainbow Event Centre.
Notably, the general notion was that attendees came out of their own conviction and support, without any form of deliberate or targeted inducement.
Indeed, the resilience displayed and the successful outcome of the convention stands as a testament to unity, determination, and belief in a common cause.
It is safe to say the scale and success of the event could not have gone unnoticed and at the end of the exercise, party members were unanimous in their overwhelming conviction that the Convention reaffirmed the ADC’s resolve to reposition itself as a credible and formidable political force in Nigeria, anchored on transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.