The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, has rejected the recognition of a former senate president, David Mark, as the national chairman of the party by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Kachikwu described INEC’s decision as irresponsible, adding that he had never had faith in the current leadership of the electoral body.
“Nigerians as a whole know that the David Mark-led faction of the ADC is on borrowed time.
“What we saw from the INEC chairman yesterday was another irresponsible act from the outgoing chairman of INEC,” he stated on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.
“It is a norm that when you have cases that are in court, you respect those cases that are in court, and you shouldn’t do anything that will affect the outcomes of those cases.
“The courts are sitting on our matter with David Mark and co next month, and Nigerians will see the rulings after the courts sit,” he added.
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Kachikwu stated that Nigeria was considered a failed nation by many because of recycled politicians who had failed to provide good leadership and would further destroy the country if allowed to return to power.
“If they (coalition) had leadership that we could look to and say these guys did well for Nigeria, Nigerians today would not be complaining.
“Nigerians today will not be saying that this country is a failed nation, but the reason why they are saying that Nigeria is a failed nation is because these guys all failed,” he said.
“So, what are they trying to do? Which nation are they trying to rebuild? Nation that they destroyed? Absolutely not!
“These guys are people who cannot stay outside of political office, who don’t have anything that they do for a living, and the only thing they need to do is to come back to political office so that they can start feathering their nest again and taking care of their friends and family,” he added.
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Asked why he refused to join forces with the ADC led by Mark to reform the ADC, the former presidential candidate said, “Are you saying that in a country of over 200 million people, a bunch of former this, former that are the only people that can mount a rescue mission to save Nigerians from the professional politicians we have had in the last four decades.
“Are you saying that my generation, your generation, the generation after us, don’t have anything worthwhile to offer in service to the fatherland?
“Are you saying that people who have ballooned our debts, people who are known worldwide as a bunch of politicians, who have not provided any infrastructure, are the same people you’re telling me are going to save us from themselves?
“I believe we have Nigerians who have got what it takes to save this country.”
INEC had listed Mark, a former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as the national chairman and national secretary of the ADC, giving official recognition to the new leadership of the party that emerged on July 2, 2025 for a coalition of opposition politicians.
Other members of the group are the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi; a former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai; and a former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who were present at the unveiling.
Also included are a former member of the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye; a former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalong; Dele Momodu, Senator Gabriel Suswam; Senator Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party (LP), a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; and a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (retd.).
The spokesman of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, had on Wednesday urged those opposed to the new leadership of the ADC to go to court.
However, Abdullahi refuted the claim that the Federal High Court in Abuja issued any order restraining Mark and Aregbesola from acting as the party’s chairman and national secretary.
It said that the court presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, in its ruling on September 4, 2025, refused the ex parte application filed by Nafiu Gombe and instead ordered that the defendants be put on notice, appear to show cause why the application should not be granted, and adjourned the matter to September 15, 2025.
He also accused those against the recognition of the Mark-led leadership of the party of resorting to desperation.
“Having failed to stop INEC from acknowledging the leadership change in ADC, the political Jobbers are now resorting to fake news. This goes to show that these agents of destablisation will stop at nothing, including misrepresenting court rulings, in their desperate efforts to sow confusion and further undermine opposition parties,” Abdullahi said in a statement on Thursday.
