May 01, (THEWILL) — The lawmaker representing Yagba East/Yagba West/Mopamuro Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing the prolonged leadership crisis rocking the opposition party and concerns over his political future.
Abejide, a two-term member of the House of Representatives elected on the ADC platform, announced his resignation during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, describing the decision as difficult but unavoidable.
“It is a painful decision but necessary to save my political future from those who came to destroy my former political party that I laboured hard to nurture and loved dearly”, the lawmaker declared.
His resignation comes amid intensifying internal disputes within the ADC following recent court rulings and the reinstatement of the David Mark-led leadership structure by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The crisis has pitched rival factions against one another, with party stakeholders divided over the legitimate national leadership of the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the briefing, Abejide accused members of the opposition coalition aligned with former Senate President, David Mark, of hijacking the party structure and destabilising the organisation he claimed to have helped build into a nationally recognised political platform.
“I joined ADC, nurtured it to national recognition as a political party with representation in both national and state assemblies. The party structure was funded by me as the then national leader of the party, which I have willingly relinquished to the current national chairman, Honourable Nafiu Bala Gombe, and I wish him good luck as he continues to fight for his rights in court”, he said.
The Kogi lawmaker added that he could no longer continue in a party engulfed in uncertainty and legal disputes over its leadership.
“I have decided to change the broken bricks in the ADC and become a cornerstone in a better political party with a strong structure that will benefit my people”, he added.
Abejide’s resignation follows weeks of open criticism of the David Mark-led faction of the ADC.
In April, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the lawmaker alleged that political “hijackers” had taken over the party without due process, insisting that the authentic leadership of the ADC remained with the faction loyal to Honourable Nafiu Bala Gombe.
The ADC crisis deepened after conflicting interpretations of court judgments triggered competing claims to the party leadership, eventually leading to INEC’s restoration of the Mark-led leadership on its official portal.
Abejide had also approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the legitimacy of the leadership arrangement and seek judicial intervention against what he described as an unlawful takeover of the party.
At Friday’s press conference, the lawmaker revealed that his lawyers advised him to leave the ADC entirely due to uncertainties surrounding the party’s structure and possible complications regarding future political nominations. According to him, remaining in the party under the current circumstances could jeopardise his electoral prospects.
Despite formally leaving the ADC, Abejide declined to disclose his next political destination, although speculation has continued to mount over a possible defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“You will know any moment from now where I am heading to. Maybe by the time I obtain my form, it will be clear to you”, he said.
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