More facts emerge about reason Gombe allegedly connives with external forces to crash ADC

By KEMI KASUMU and OUR REPORTER, Abuja

“…whether or not the issue of changing his agreed position of National Vice Chairman North East is correct or not, it was not enough for him to go too far to wanting to collapse the only vibrant opposition ahead of the critical movement of 2027 election. One of them, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said, “At least it is now very clear that the ADC leadership is right while the INEC and Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government allegedly acted to favour are wrong.”

Sequel to promise by immediate past National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Ralph Nwosu, that “very ridiculous things the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does against his now most vibrant opposition party in world’s most populous black nation, former Adamawa State Senator, Ishaku Abbo, has revealed how a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, Honourable Nafiu Bala Gombe, connived with external forces against the leadership of the National Chairman of the party, David Mark.

Abbo, who represented Adamawa North Senatorial District at the Senate, made this known on Sunday during a Facebook Live session.

He spoke three days after the INEC delisted the Mark leadership of the party following a judgement of the Court of Appeal based on a case filed by Gombe but which the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)-led INEC, from all legal arguments now, has been blamed for wrongfully interpreting and unlawfully taking upon itself the business of doing so.

According to Abbo, the reason behind the leadership crisis rocking the ADC stems from betrayal, internal disagreements, and external interference.

He said the crisis began after Gombe and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) resigned based on certain agreements for Mark and others to take over.

He said the former NWC members agreed to support the new leadership after promises were made to them.

He said: “If you check the picture below, the man sitting before me is Nafiu Bala.

“He was at the Yar’Adua Centre (Abuja) clapping and cheering as David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola took over as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.”

According to Abbo, an agreement was reached to allocate party positions across geopolitical zones to accommodate members of the legacy structure.

He said: “The agreement made with the legacy party was to cede certain positions to them from each geopolitical zone so that they can be part of the larger ADC.”

Abbo said it was agreed that Gombe would be appointed the National Vice-Chairman for the North East, a role he described as lower than his former position as Deputy National Chairman, adding: “During the formation of the David Mark-led NWC, the new leadership reneged on the earlier agreement to make Bala National Vice Chairman North East and instead installed Babachir David Lawal in the position.”

He said Gombe rejected the alternative offer of the Zonal Financial Secretary of the North East.

He said: “At this point, he started plotting how to bring the whole roof down.”

Abbo alleged that unnamed political actors, including a serving governor and a former minister, sponsored legal actions against the party, pleading with Gombe to withdraw the case in court and work towards unity in the party.

The write up by Abbo, titled “THE GENESIS OF THE CRISES IN ADC AND DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA”, before the Facebook Live, said in full:

“If you check the picture below, the man sitting before me is #nafiubalagombe, I marked him in red as screenshot in my archived video. He was at the Yar Adua center clapping and cheering as David Mark and Aregbesola took over as National Chairman and secretary respectively.

“The crises rocking the ADC in Nigeria started after my brother from Gombe #NafiuBala resigned from office as Deputy National Chairman together with the entire National working committee to pave way for the Senator David Mark led NWC to take over.

“The agreement made with the legacy party was to cede certain positions to them from each geopolitical zone so that they can be part of the larger ADC.

“In the North, it was agreed that the position of the National Vice Chairman Northeast will be given to Nafiu Bala a lesser position from his former position as Deputy National Chairman.

“After that agreement was signed and sealed and the new National Chairman and secretary took over, a leadership Caucus meeting was called to form a new National working Committee ( NWC).

“During the formation of the David Mark led NWC, the new leadership reneged on the earlier agreement to make Nafiu Bala National Vice chairman Northeast and instead installed Babachir David Lawal in the position agreed upon by the Nwose led NWC during the negotiation.

“According to BD Lawal, how can Nafiu Bala, a small boy become a National Vice chairman in a zone that has the former Vice President and former SGF? Nafiu Bala was offered a lesser position which he rejected. Instead he started plotting on how to bring down the whole roof down.

“Nafiu and one man from Adamawa state starting reaching out to their friends in the Villa to connect them so they can join hands and destroy the ADC.

“I am fully aware that a powerful serving governor from the south east and a former Minister from the Northwest before he was removed Assembled lawyers to help take the case to court.

“I am also aware that the current onslaught from INEC on ADC was engineered by a very powerful minister from the south south with the support of few others.

“Infact in the Villa today, everyone is claiming that he is responsible for the crises in the ADC just to curry favour from the President.

“I refrained from mentioning names but one day those names will be captured in one chapter of my book, my Autobiography.

“For the records, the Current, serving Vice President of Nigeria is from the Northeast, Borno, the NSA and many other powerful minister are from Northeast, yet a youth was entrusted with being the National Vice Chairman North East. But not in the ADC as part the theory of BD Lawal.

“But in the arrogance of few or our ADC leaders, Nafiu is small to be made National Vice chairman.

“Nafiu Bala felt belittled and insulted by BD Lawal and he has now belittled all of us.

“I will be live tomorrow by 2pm to address the illegality of INECs actions on ADC and the crises rocking the Adamawa chapter on the ADC as we go into the congress, the crises is engineered by the same people responsible for the #NafiuBalaGombe conundrum.

“I know too much on this matter.

“I will be sincere, honest, bold and truthful,” Senator Abbo said.

Although there has been no official reaction from the ADC to this report, some interested parties who have volunteered to speak on the matter have argued that whether or not the issue of changing his agreed position of National Vice Chairman North East is correct or not, it was not enough for him to go too far to wanting to collapse the only vibrant opposition ahead of the critical movement of 2027 election.

One of them, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said, “At least it is now very clear that the ADC leadership is right while the INEC and Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government allegedly acted to favour are wrong.

“This is because, even a layman knows that it only takes a desperate person to do what INEC did delisting the leaders of ADC based on untruth. The Court of Appeal’s of ante bellum could not have meant for INEC to derecognise the David Mark leadership of the ADC as it simply means that his leadership should remain,” he said.