A major crisis is brewing within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a key faction of the party has rejected its adoption as the political platform for a newly formed opposition coalition.

The rejection follows a meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday, where prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Senate President David Mark, reportedly agreed to use the ADC as the official vehicle for a united opposition front ahead of future elections.

In a statement on Wednesday, Musa Isa Matara, National Publicity Secretary of the faction, described the coalition arrangement as an “imposed decision” that lacked the consent of critical stakeholders within the party.

“The ADC is not a private coalition platform to be hijacked by political elites,” Matara said. “It belongs to its members, not political merchants or elite dealmakers.”

He said the move to adopt the ADC as a coalition platform was made without consulting the party’s state executives, youth and women leaders, or ward coordinators. The faction accused some individuals of attempting to “sell out the soul of the party for personal gain.”

At the Abuja meeting, the opposition coalition named David Mark as interim national chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as interim secretary. Former Minister of Sports Bolaji Abdullahi was introduced as the coalition’s spokesperson.

However, Matara insisted that the ADC’s leadership was not informed of the developments and dismissed the appointments as illegitimate, saying they were not ratified by the party’s National Executive Committee or approved at a national convention.

“The claim that the ADC has become the platform of the National Opposition Coalition Group is misleading,” the statement read. “Our millions of members have not been informed or carried along in this so-called coalition.”

He further cautioned those joining the ADC under the coalition banner to tread carefully, warning that the party is still facing unresolved legal disputes stemming from the 2023 general elections.

“Any coalition attempt built on such shaky legal ground is irresponsible and potentially self-destructive,” Matara said.

The faction emphasized that while the ADC remains open to democratic alliances, it would not accept what it sees as a hostile takeover of the party’s structures and identity.