Abejide quits ADC 10 days after Gbajabiamila’s counsel to disrupt party

TEN days after President Bola Tinubu’s chief of staff asked House of Representatives member, Mr Leke Abejide, to cause confusion in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Kogi lawmaker has quit the opposition party, citing hijack by selfish elements.

In a viral video on social media, former House of Representatives Speaker, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, was seen and heard describing the Kogi lawmaker as a loyal and resilient politician who should not abandon the party he built through personal effort and resources.

Gbajabiamila said, “Honorable Abejide, I know you to be a committed party man. I know you to be a fighter. I know you to be someone who does not like to be cheated. So please, my charge to you is to stay in that same ADC. Fight them, scatter them. Hold on to your party ADC. Do not abandon them.”

The now chief of Staff to President Tinubu added, “We like what you are doing. Continue. Don’t mind what the former governor said that they will come and join APC. No, no, no. Stay in ADC. Win your re-election in ADC and you will. Bring Gombe, what’s his name again? Bala Gombe. Bring him. Do the right thing. You are a fighter. Do the right thing. Nobody can come and take your party away from you. A party that you’ve built with your sweat and your money and everything. Continue. Good luck in court,” the former House of Representatives speaker said mischievously.

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Ten days after…

But Abejide did not heed the counsel, knowing the political consequences of doing so. Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, the lawmaker representing Yagba Federal Constituency in Kogi said the party had been ‘hijacked’ by individuals he accused of pursuing selfish interests.

He described his exit as a difficult but necessary step to protect his political future, claiming that those who took over the party were intent on destroying a platform he helped build over the years.

Abejide, who chairs the House Committee on Customs, disclosed that he filed a lawsuit in August 2025 challenging the leadership of David Mark within the ADC. He alleged that the case suffered repeated delays due to applications filed by associates of the defendants aimed at stalling proceedings.

According to him, prolonged adjournments at the federal high court frustrated efforts to secure a timely ruling, prompting his legal team to advise him to consider joining another political platform.

He added that the leadership crisis had rendered the party ineffective, noting that the absence of duly recognised national officers made it impossible to fulfil legal requirements such as signing nomination forms for elections.

Abejide further alleged that the coalition within the ADC was never designed to strengthen the party but to sideline long-standing members like himself who had remained loyal since 2019 and won elections under its banner when it was relatively unknown.

The lawmaker accused certain politicians, whom he claimed had been rejected by other parties, of unlawfully taking control of the ADC and destabilising its structure.

He maintained that he played a major role in building and financing the party from its early days and said he had since relinquished his position as national leader to Nafiu Bala, wishing him success in ongoing legal battles.

READ ALSO: Tinubu inducing opposition members to defect to APC, Odinkalu, Ojudu, 15 others claim

Abejide emphasised that his resignation followed due process as outlined in the party’s constitution, stressing that he had formally withdrawn his membership.

He also dismissed claims circulating in a viral video, stating that he had no intention of destabilising the party, despite advice reportedly given by Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, urging him to remain and fight internal battles.

Instead, he insisted that those he described as ‘hijackers’ were responsible for the internal chaos, accusing them of arbitrarily expelling members without following constitutional procedures.

The leadership tussle within the ADC has seen both the faction loyal to Mark and another led by Bala laying claim to control of the party.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Nigeria directed Mark to return to the federal high court for the continuation and resolution of the dispute over the party’s leadership.