Fresh disaster hits ADC over caretaker appointments

Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Solomon Dalung, has criticised the get together’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, over the appointment of caretaker committees throughout the 36 states, warning that the transfer might undermine its pending attraction earlier than the Supreme Court and jeopardise its participation within the 2027 common elections.

Dalung, who made his place recognized in a video posted on his Facebook web page on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 accused Aregbesola of unilaterally issuing appointment letters to members of the caretaker committees regardless of an ongoing authorized dispute over the get together’s state government constructions, blueprint studies.

The former minister alleged that social media was flooded with appointment letters bearing Aregbesola’s signature, naming people to handle the affairs of the get together throughout the states.

He expressed concern that a few of these appointed have been people whose earlier positions had been affected by selections of the Court of Appeal, including that appeals towards the choices remained pending earlier than the Supreme Court.

According to him, the get together management was taking steps that might compromise its authorized place by making an attempt to reinstate or accommodate people whose standing was nonetheless being contested in courtroom.

“We woke up this morning with social media inundated with letters of appointment of caretaker committee members for the 36 states, signed by the national secretary of the party,” Dalung mentioned.

He described the event as a disregard for the judicial course of, arguing that the get together couldn’t concurrently problem courtroom selections earlier than the Supreme Court and take administrative actions that appeared to anticipate the result of the attraction.

“This action of the party is intended to undermine the integrity of the judiciary and pre-empt the decision on the matter before your lordships at the Supreme Court,” he mentioned.

Dalung, who recognized himself as a barrister of the Supreme Court, insisted that he wouldn’t help any motion able to undermining the rule of legislation, no matter his political affiliation.

“This act is unacceptable to right-thinking Nigerians and lovers of the principles of the rule of law and democracy. And as a minister in the temple of justice and a barrister of the Supreme Court, I will not stand with the ADC to undermine the judicial process,” he added.

He consequently urged the get together management to droop the deliberate inauguration of the caretaker committees, scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, pending the dedication of the attraction earlier than the apex courtroom.

The former minister warned that continuing with the train might expose the opposition get together to additional authorized issues at a vital interval when political events are anticipated to consolidate their constructions forward of the 2027 elections.

“Should the party proceed to inaugurate these persons, the consequences are obvious. It means the ADC is not committed to participating in the 2027 elections,” he mentioned.

Dalung argued that the ADC couldn’t strategy the Supreme Court to problem the Court of Appeal’s choice regarding the get together’s state congresses and nationwide conference and, on the identical time, proceed to nominate the affected people as chairmen of caretaker committees whereas the attraction remained unresolved.

He mentioned such an strategy raised questions in regards to the consistency of the get together’s place earlier than the courts.

Questions Aregbesola’s authority to signal appointments

Beyond the authorized implications, Dalung questioned why the appointment letters have been signed solely by Aregbesola with out the endorsement of the get together’s National Chairman.

He argued that appointments involving people who would oversee the affairs of the get together throughout the states have been too important to be dealt with by means of what he described as a unilateral administrative choice.

“This letter was unilaterally signed by the national secretary. Why did the national chairman not sign the appointment letters of the caretaker committees, whose members would be saddled with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the party in the states?” he queried.

Dalung maintained that the get together’s administrative procedures required the involvement of each the nationwide chairman and nationwide secretary in selections of such magnitude.

He additionally disclosed that he had repeatedly suggested towards the appointments, making it clear that he was not in help of the choice.

The former minister warned that ought to the Supreme Court finally rule towards the get together, its management would have little justification for blaming exterior forces for the implications of choices taken whereas the matter was pending.

Describing a potential setback as a “self-inflicted injury”, he referred to as on the management to withdraw the appointment letters and await the apex courtroom’s choice.

“Otherwise, the party is going to pay dearly for it, and I do not think the Supreme Court will sympathise with the party because this would amount to the ADC acting as the Supreme Court of Nigeria and determining what will happen,” he added.

How the caretaker committee controversy began

The newest disagreement is related to a protracted dispute over the authority of the ADC’s interim nationwide management, headed by former Senate President David Mark, to dissolve current state government constructions and organise recent congresses.

Following the emergence of the Mark-led management in 2025, the get together moved to reorganise its constructions throughout the nation by means of caretaker preparations and committees mandated to conduct state congresses.

However, some elected state chairmen and government members challenged the method, arguing that their tenure remained legitimate and that the interim nationwide management lacked the constitutional authority to take away them or appoint committees to interchange them.

The aggrieved members, led by Don Norman Obinna and different get together stakeholders, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, looking for to guard the tenure and capabilities of the present state government committees.

On April 29, 2026, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik restrained the Mark-led caretaker management from interfering with the tenure and capabilities of the elected state executives and barred INEC from recognising or taking part in state congresses organised by committees appointed by the caretaker management.

The ADC subsequently challenged the choice on the Court of Appeal.

However, on July 13, 2026, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, in a cut up choice of two to at least one, upheld the Federal High Court’s order, dismissing the get together’s attraction.

The appellate courtroom affirmed that the elected state government committees retained their authority pending the conduct of correctly constituted congresses and that the caretaker management couldn’t unilaterally take over their capabilities.

The ADC and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, subsequently indicated their intention to problem the ruling on the Supreme Court.

It is that this separate dispute over the state congresses and the authority of the get together’s interim management that Dalung says ought to have made the management cautious about continuing with the newest caretaker appointments.

Fresh management setback over Nafiu Bala’s go well with

Dalung’s warning additionally comes towards the background of one other main authorized setback suffered by the Mark-led management.

On November 5, 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the emergence of Mark as nationwide chairman and Aregbesola as nationwide secretary, following a go well with instituted by former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe.

Justice Peter Lifu additionally rejected a purported resignation letter allegedly signed by Bala, ruling that the signature on the doc was materially completely different from signatures on different courtroom paperwork submitted by the plaintiff.

The decide held that the disputed letter couldn’t be relied upon as real proof that Bala voluntarily resigned from his place within the get together.

The courtroom additional held that the method by means of which the Mark-led management emerged had not been proven to fulfill the necessary requirement for democratic elections below Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

Consequently, the courtroom invalidated the emergence of the disputed nationwide management and selections taken below it, together with the method that produced Atiku Abubakar because the get together’s presidential candidate for the 2027 common election.

The ADC, nevertheless, rejected the judgment and filed an attraction, alongside an utility for a keep of execution, urging INEC to chorus from taking steps that might prejudice the result of the appellate proceedings.

The get together maintained that it will pursue all out there authorized avenues to guard its pursuits and proceed its political actions.

The two authorized disputes, involving the state congresses and Bala’s problem to the nationwide management, have subsequently created separate however interconnected challenges for the opposition get together.

ADC’s 2027 electoral preparations below strain

The newest disagreement raises additional questions in regards to the ADC’s capacity to take care of a united nationwide construction and successfully put together for the 2027 common elections amid its extended management disaster.

The get together has positioned itself as a serious platform for opposition figures looking for to problem the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar rising from its presidential major.

However, the competing authorized challenges have sophisticated the get together’s efforts to ascertain undisputed management constructions, organise its state chapters and consolidate its electoral equipment.

Dalung’s concern is that persevering with with disputed appointments whereas litigation stays pending might create extra grounds for authorized challenges and make the get together’s place tougher to defend.

His warning additionally exposes disagreements throughout the get together over the way during which its management is managing the disaster, notably whether or not administrative selections must be suspended till the courts decide the excellent disputes.

As of Wednesday, November 11, the get together’s nationwide management had not publicly responded to Dalung’s newest allegations within the studies reviewed.

The fast subject is whether or not the deliberate inauguration of the caretaker committees will proceed regardless of his warning or whether or not the management will droop the train pending the Supreme Court proceedings.

For Dalung, the ADC should keep away from taking selections that might undermine its personal authorized battles.

His central argument is {that a} political get together looking for judicial intervention to overturn an antagonistic ruling have to be cautious to not take administrative actions that could possibly be interpreted as disregarding the identical judicial course of.