The leader of a faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala Gombe, has reiterated his stance that former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is not among the legitimate members of the ADC recognized by his faction. Nafiu also challenged the claim that Atiku is the ADC's presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
According to Nafiu's faction, the internal process for selecting the presidential candidate has been concluded, and Professor Chris Uba is the candidate they declared and recognize not Atiku.
On the other hand, the faction aligned with former Senate President David Mark and Atiku views itself as the legitimate leadership structure of the party. The dispute has reached the courts and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with both factions continuing to trade accusations over who holds the authority to lead the ADC and present its candidates for 2027.
Still, what people continue to question regarding this statement by the ADC leader is: If Nafiu's claim is true, why did the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) publish Atiku Abubakar's name as the ADC's presidential candidate?
This has led many people to view Nafiu Bala as a political proxy hired to weaken Atiku's movement. Nonetheless, Nafiu has maintained this claim for a long time—a situation that previously prompted Kwankwaso and Peter Obi to exit the party due to its internal turmoil, as they stated.