ADC, PDP, Parties of Unending Cinflicts, is Tinubu Their Problem? – By Kunle Oyatomi

Few political parties in the country currently have their fate hanging in the balance.
At the forefront is the African Democratic Congress, ADC, which became the preferred choice for political harlots in recent months.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is intensifying efforts to consolidate its position ahead of the forthcoming general polls, ADC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are battling with internal, self-inflicted crises, for which they point accusing fingers at the APC.
The explanations they have offered for their predicament defy logic. Their leaders’ accusations against the APC as the fomentor of their troubles lack objectivity. Their continual determination to condemn President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and describe him as an undemocratic leader who is turning Nigeria into a one party state is unfounded.
What are the facts? PDP orchestrated its own downfall, having failed to continue on the principles of objectivity, fairness, equality and truthfulness, outstanding foundations laid by the the party’s founding fathers.
In recent times, the inability adheres to these tenets resulted in a major crisis point that birthed the rise of a new PDP faction and the departure of five key governors, better known as the Group of Five, G-5, to support APC’s Tinubu in the 2023 elections, thereby reducing the party’s strength.
The failure to zone the presidential ticket to the South created immense tension, inflated by perennial presidential contestant, Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner who allegedly used money to court votes that brought about his emergence as the party’s standard bearer.
The crisis assumed another unimaginable dimension when the PDP further refused to change the leadership structure by keeping the National Chairman in the North, thereby deepening internal divisions.
Recently, a former member of the party and erstwhile Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, had this to say about the once-dominant political platform which held sway at the centre from 1999 to 2015: “There are internal mercenaries in the PDP, hired and motivated to destroy the party.” Indeed, since these internal actors undermined the PDP prior to President Tinubu’s election in 2023, the party has yet to regain its former coherence and influence.
With PDP partially dead and waiting to be buried, political opportunists such as Sen. David Mark, Nasir el Rufai, Rauf Aregbesola, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar joined the ADC in droves without considering that a potential crisis awaited them.
They saw the ADC as a mere platform to advance their political ambitions, ignoring the party’s internal dynamics and leadership structure, which might not welcome defections or tolerate the usurpation of its powers.
So, it was not surprising that the Nafiu Bala and David Mark issue has become a talking point shortly after the latter formerly joined the party on July 2, 2025.
While the event that took place at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, the FCT, witnessed an excited crowd, the measures for ensuring that potential crisis were nipped in the bud were not immediately worked on.
The focus appeared to be on defections, coalition-building and power acquisition, rather than on assessing compatibility and long-term stability.
From the outset, missteps were made. Now, those responsible seem more interested in shifting blame than addressing the consequences of their own actions.
Nafiu Bala, in a recent interview gave credence to this fact when he told a news medium that “I would like to clarify that I am not driven by personal grievances or agendas. My concern stems from the apparent breach of our party’s constitution, specifically Articles 8(2) and 9(4), regarding membership and eligibility to hold party positions. Senator David Mark and his coalition members’ induction into the party raises questions about their eligibility. On July 2, 2025, the then National Chairman, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu announced his resignation at Yar’Adua Center Abuja, issued party membership cards to Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, appointing them as Acting National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively. This process appears to contravene our party’s constitution.
“Specifically, it appears to violate Articles 8(2) and 9(4), which outline membership requirements and eligibility for holding party positions. My concern is ensuring that our party’s rules are respected and followed.”
Now that they have been castrated by the courts and INEC (apologies to Femi Fanikayode, FFK) over their own miscalculations, they are going around crying wolf.
As FFK said, how do people who can’t even form a party and hold it together want to rule Nigeria? They are not just a danger to themselves but to our country!
While their chances in the 2027 elections appear to be fading, it is never too late for the factionalised ADC and the PDP to come together and create a stronger opposition capable of challenging the APC in 2031.
Also, they should stop the blame game, it will do them no good.
Oyatomi Esq., Former Editor, (Sunday Vanguard 1999-2010), Author (FINGERPRINTS: Nigeria’s Tangled Transition to Nationhood 2008) and a current member of the Board of Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI), a Think Tank based in Abuja.