The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been thrown into fresh internal confusion following the emergence of two conflicting official documents on the party’s proposed congresses and conventions, with the party’s Chairmen’s Forum publicly disowning a circular allegedly issued by the National Secretariat.
In a disclaimer dated Monday, 15 December 2025, the ADC Chairmen’s Forum rejected a document titled “Circular 002/11/2025”, which outlined a nationwide timetable for congresses at polling unit, ward, local government, and state levels, as well as a non-elective national convention scheduled for Thursday, 12 February 2026 in Abuja.
The disputed circular, purportedly signed by the National Secretary, announced that congresses would hold on Tuesday, 20 January 2026 (Polling Units), Thursday, 22 January 2026 (Wards), Saturday, 24 January 2026 (Local Governments), and Tuesday, 27 January 2026 (States).
However, in a strongly worded statement issued under the banner of the African Democratic Congress Chairmen’s Forum, the group declared that the circular did not emanate from the office of the National Chairman and was unknown to the party’s highest decision-making body.
“The National Chairman stated categorically that the publication in question did not originate from his office,” the statement said. “He further confirmed that he neither authorised nor had prior knowledge of the document, and that it is unknown to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.”
The Chairmen’s Forum described the circular as “illegal, invalid, and of no effect whatsoever,” urging party members, stakeholders, and the general public to completely disregard it.
“Accordingly, any claims, notices, or insinuations contained therein suggesting that congresses will be held across the states of the federation for the ADC at the local government and state levels are false and should be disregarded in their entirety,” the forum stated.
The statement followed a meeting between the leadership of the ADC Chairmen’s Forum, led by Hon. Kingsley Temitope Ogga, and the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, amid growing concerns over conflicting signals from within the party ahead of preparations for future elections.
Despite rejecting the circular, the forum reaffirmed its loyalty to the party’s recognised leadership, saying, “We wish to use this medium to reiterate our unalloyed loyalty to the Senator David Mark-led National Working Committee and our commitment to the party’s success in all upcoming elections, including the 2027 general election.”
The contradictory documents have fueled uncertainty among ADC members nationwide, raising questions about internal coordination, authority, and procedural compliance within the party as political activities intensify ahead of the next electoral cycle.
As of the time of filing this report, the National Secretariat had not issued a fresh clarification to reconcile the conflicting positions or confirm an official timetable for the party’s congresses and convention.