ADC Faction Releases Congress Guidelines Ahead of 2025/2026 Political Year

A faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) loyal to Nafiu Gombe has released comprehensive guidelines and a timetable for the conduct of party congresses and a national convention for the 2025/2026 political year. The move, announced on Friday through a circular personally signed by Gombe, is aimed at strengthening internal party democracy and repositioning the ADC ahead of future electoral contests.

The guidelines outline a structured sequence of meetings and congresses spanning from early January to February 2026. They also reaffirm the ADC faction’s claim to being the authentic national leadership of the party, coming amid renewed internal disputes and public attention surrounding recent political realignments.

ADC:Timetable and Structure of Planned Congresses

According to the circular, the ADC activities will formally commence with a meeting of the Board of Trustees scheduled for January 5. This will be followed by a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on January 7, during which key organisational issues are expected to be addressed.

Among the major items on the NEC agenda are the filling of vacant positions within the National Working Committee, the setting of dates for membership registration and revalidation, and final preparations for ward, local government and state congresses. The faction stated that membership registration and revalidation would run from January 2 to January 15.

Ward executive committee congresses are scheduled for January 17, with a period between January 19 and January 22 set aside to address matters arising. Local government congresses are expected to take place on January 24, while state executive committee congresses are slated for January 31, 2026.

Guidelines on Participation, Fees and Zoning

The circular directed all state chapters to constitute Congress Planning Committees to oversee the conduct of the congresses. It stressed that individuals seeking to contest for state executive positions must not be members of these planning committees, in order to ensure fairness and transparency.

Gombe explained that aspirants for state offices are required to formally notify the State Congress Committee of their intentions and pay an intention fee of ₦2,000. According to him, the fee may be used in part to finance the organisation of the congresses. The State Executive Committee is expected to supervise the planning committees to ensure strict compliance with the issued guidelines.

On zoning, the ADC faction stated that the composition and distribution of state executive committee positions should, as much as practicable, reflect senatorial zones, in line with the party’s constitutional provisions. The party also emphasised that only validly registered or revalidated members whose names appear in the official membership register would be eligible to participate in the congresses.

Internal Disputes and INEC Notification

The release of the guidelines comes against the backdrop of internal party tensions, particularly following reports of the defection and registration of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the ADC’s Enugu zonal office. The Gombe-led faction distanced itself from the reported development, describing it as a violation of the party’s constitution and established membership procedures.

Earlier reports had quoted Obi as announcing his defection to the ADC at an event in Enugu State, where he called for a broad opposition coalition to address Nigeria’s challenges. However, the faction insisted that any such registration did not follow due process as outlined in the party’s rules.

In preparation for the congresses, state chapters were also directed to formally notify the ADC National Secretariat of the dates, venues and times of their congresses. This, the party said, would ensure proper communication with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The National Working Committee convention is scheduled to hold between February 13 and 15, 2026.