The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the escalating leadership tussle within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “classic case study in political self-destruction,” asking the opposition party to stop blaming external forces for its internal collapse.
It dismissed allegations that the ruling party was behind the legal and administrative troubles crippling the main opposition platform.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Publicity Secretary of the Lagos State chapter of the APC, Seye Oladejo, asserted that the crisis shaking the ADC stems strictly from its failure to observe internal democracy, constitutional procedures, and institutional discipline.
‘A Lesson in Political Suicide’
Reacting to recent developments following a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the Senator David Mark-led interim executive of the ADC, Oladejo noted that the opposition was engaging in “political escapism” by accusing the APC and questioning the judiciary.
The court ruling also cast significant uncertainty over the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, including the process that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.
> “What should ordinarily have been an internal party disagreement has now escalated into a full-blown leadership crisis, judicial confrontation, and an embarrassing spectacle of political recriminations,” Oladejo stated.
“One cannot set one’s political house on fire and then accuse the neighbor of arson simply because the flames are visible from across the street.”
He emphasized that the legal suit that culminated in the nullification of the Mark-led leadership was brought by an aggrieved ADC stakeholder, Nafiu Bala Gombe, rather than the ruling party.
The APC spokesman criticized the ADC for prioritizing high-stakes presidential ambitions over party building, describing the outcome as “ambition without structure.”
According to Oladejo, the opposition coalition was hastily assembled around prominent political figures without establishing a functional, transparent, and legally binding institutional framework.
“Democracy is not a buffet from which political actors select only the outcomes that suit their ambitions,” he said, adding that no political heavyweight, regardless of pedigree or ambition, should circumvent party rules.
“If a political organization cannot satisfactorily resolve questions about who legitimately leads it, what assurances can it offer Nigerians about its capacity to manage a country of more than 200 million people?”
Addressing threats by a faction of ADC state and local government chairmen to organize nationwide protests against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Lagos APC scribe cautioned against intimidating independent state institutions.
He stressed that judicial outcomes should be challenged through the appellate courts rather than through public rallies or combative rhetoric.
“The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed, but it cannot be transformed into an instrument for intimidating independent institutions or compelling them to act outside the law,” Oladejo warned.
“Volume does not confer validity, threats do not create legitimacy, and political rallies cannot substitute for compliance with the law.”
Reiterating that the APC remains committed to a vibrant multiparty democracy, Oladejo maintained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration welcomes fair competition based on policies, performance, and ideas.
However, he insisted that a credible opposition must be organized and internally democratic rather than constantly seeking external scapegoats for avoidable mistakes.
“Political suicide is often not inflicted by one’s opponents,” Oladejo concluded. “Sometimes, it is the inevitable consequence of one’s own choices.”