Fresh twists have emerged in the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the faction headed by Gombe-born politician, Nafiu Bala, says it has uploaded 426 candidates for various elective positions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
The faction also said 71 candidate nominations are yet to be uploaded.
The claim was contained in documents made available to our correspondent by Bala’s camp, which is contesting the leadership of the party with another faction led by former Senate President David Mark.
According to the documents, bearing the logo of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Chris Uba, a 71-year-old politician from Anambra State, was entered as the party’s presidential candidate, while Shamsuddin Modibbo-Barkindo, 65, was listed as the vice-presidential candidate.
The documents indicate that the faction has completed the upload of 426 candidates for different elective offices, with 71 additional nominations still awaiting processing.
One of the documents states: “Total uploaded candidates: 426. Pending uploads: 71.”
Another document identifies Professor Chris Uba as the presidential candidate and Shamsuddin Modibbo-Barkindo as the vice-presidential candidate.
The development is the latest in the protracted leadership dispute within the ADC, where rival groups continue to lay claim to the party’s national leadership and the authority to submit candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The move is also likely to raise fresh questions over the political future of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whose reported presidential ambition has been associated with the David Mark-led faction.
As of the time this report was filed, the Independent National Electoral Commission had not issued any official statement on the documents, while the David Mark-led faction had yet to respond to the claims made by the Nafiu Bala camp.