ADC Dismisses Factional Claims After Maiduguri Attack, Insists on Unified Leadership

ADC Dismisses Factional Claims After Maiduguri Attack, Insists on Unified Leadership

By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed claims made by rival factions linking the party to Monday’s violent attack in Maiduguri, Borno State, insisting that the chapter operates under a single, legally recognised leadership.

Briefing journalists in Maiduguri, the Chairman of the Transition, Registration and Mobilisation Committee (TRMC), Ali Bukar Wurge, said the allegations being circulated, particularly by elements within the PDP, lacked evidence and were intended to fuel confusion.

“Even though the police have invited some officials over an internal dispute, the PDP’s claims are baseless and cannot stand in any court of law,” Wurge declared.

He emphasised that the Borno ADC’s structure remains intact and was duly endorsed by the national leadership under Senator David Mark, a former Senate President.

According to him, while the party has a recognised state chairman, other executive positions are still pending, adding that this does not indicate factionalism.

However, tensions worsened when embattled ADC State Chairman Kaka Umara Bolori and other stakeholders were summoned by the Borno State Police Command shortly after Wurge’s press briefing.

Police sources confirmed that top party figures were instructed to report at the Command Headquarters “without fail” following the unrest that marred the inauguration of the state’s Interim Management Committee (IMC) on Monday.

The ADC has grappled with internal friction since its National Secretariat in Abuja set up an IMC to manage state chapters ahead of substantive congresses.

On Monday’s inauguration turned chaotic after Bolori rejected the committee’s composition and refused to acknowledge Wurge’s leadership.

Security and party sources confirmed that at least eleven ADC supporters and security personnel sustained injuries during the fracas, while eight party vehicles and a police patrol van were vandalised.

Describing the incident, Wurge condemned the violence and said its  attack on the democratic process in Borno State.

He faulted those who disrupted what he described as a legitimate party procedure, expressing sympathy for those injured.

“Our transition committee was properly constituted in line with the ADC constitution and ratified by the National Working Committee,” he stated.

Efforts to reach Bolori for comments were unsuccessful by press time.

Wurge appealed to stakeholders to put aside personal interests and begin rebuilding party structures ahead of the 2027 elections.