ABUJA – The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has finally broken its silence on the explosive leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), dismissing the opposition’s allegations of sabotage as the “hallucinations of a drowning party.”
Addressing a packed press conference at the APC National Secretariat on Friday, April 3, 2026, National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru and National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, CON, told the David Mark-led faction to stop looking for scapegoats in the Presidency and instead look in the mirror.
The “Self-Destruction” Theory
Morka, speaking with a mix of mockery and irritation, described the ADC as an “assembly of Nigeria’s most confused and desperate politicians.” He argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was merely following a Court of Appeal mandate to maintain the status quo after the Mark-led group “hijacked” the party’s machinery.
“The ADC is a party that never was,” Morka declared to the gathered press. “By design, it was a kamikaze contraption with a ‘follow-come’ self-destructive detonator. It is now unraveling fast by installment. It is highly escapist and irresponsible for them to blame the APC for their internal woes.”
“Not Jittery” Over 2027
The APC leadership laughed off claims that the ruling party is “jittery” over a potential mega-coalition involving Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar. Basiru emphasized that while the APC is focused on its “Renewed Hope” reforms, the ADC has nothing to offer beyond “rabid conspiracy theories” and “senseless attacks” on President Tinubu.
The ruling party’s official statement was blunt: “A party that cannot fix itself cannot possibly fix Nigeria. Step on your brakes and stop mistaking your internal confusion for a national crisis.”
The International Backlash
The APC’s “tough love” stance comes at a time of mounting international pressure. A spokesperson for the European Union Election Observation Mission has noted with “deep concern” the perceived systematic erosion of opposition structures in Nigeria. Closer to home, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room warned that de-listing a functioning National Working Committee while a case is pending feels like a “pre-emptive strike” against the 2027 democratic process.
Even as Washington prepares for a briefing by a U.S. policy firm on the ADC “freeze,” figures like Senator Shehu Sani have expressed skepticism, noting that reporting INEC to Donald Trump—who is reportedly eyeing a third term—might be a waste of time. Sani quipped that the opposition might have better luck reporting the matter to CAF.
A Nation in Tension
As the APC celebrates its newly minted ₦11 billion leadership and defends its “neutral” stance on the ADC, the country remains on edge. Between Governor Bala Mohammed’s “Gestapo” warnings in Bauchi and Nasir El-Rufai’s explosive claims of illegal ₦100 billion monthly deductions by the Presidency, the political atmosphere is thick with suspicion.
For the David Mark-led NWC, which has vowed to proceed with its ward congresses on April 9, the APC’s message is clear: the ruling party will not be the “punching bag” for an opposition that is currently “stuck in the mud of its own making.”
