Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has criticised African Democratic Congress (ADC) over its ongoing leadership crisis.
Gatekeepers News reports that Onanuga urged the party to stop holding the president and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) responsible for what he described as its self-inflicted problems.
The statement comes amid an intensifying crisis within the ADC, which has split the party into rival factions and raised legal and political questions about its legitimate leadership ahead of future electoral activities.
The warning comes amid the leadership crisis rocking the ADC, culminating in the de-recognition of the David Mark-led leadership of the party and the Nafiu Bala faction by INEC on Wednesday.
In a statement, Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s commissioner for information and voter education, said the commission will refrain from engaging both factions, citing the March 12 court of appeal judgment.
INEC said it will not attend meetings, congresses, or conventions of the ADC groups pending the determination of a case before the federal high court.
Tensions escalated after the faction loyal to David Mark rejected INEC’s stance and demanded the immediate removal of its chairman, Joash Amupitan. The group accused the electoral body of bias, arguing that its interpretation of the appellate court ruling suggested partiality and undermined confidence in its neutrality.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Mark further alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Tinubu administration were exerting pressure on INEC to weaken opposition parties, warning of an emerging one-party system. In response, the APC dismissed the claims and countered that the Mark-led leadership had sidelined the party’s constitution and internal structures, effectively hijacking the ADC.
Reacting to the controversy in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Onanuga maintained that the ADC’s difficulties stem from internal mismanagement rather than external interference. He criticised the party for misinterpreting legal principles cited in the appellate court ruling, particularly the doctrine of status quo ante bellum.
In his post titled “Status quo versus status quo ante bellum: An explainer to the wailing ADC,” Onanuga said he consulted artificial intelligence tools and Google to clarify the meaning of the Latin terms.
“Status quo ante bellum means the state existing before the war,” he said.
The presidential aide explained that the concept is commonly used in diplomacy and legal contexts to describe a situation where parties revert to conditions that existed before a conflict, without gains or losses on either side.
“The related phrase status quo ante, literally ‘the status before’, refers to the state of affairs that existed previously,” he said.
Applying the concept to the ADC crisis, Onanuga argued that the court ruling implies a return to the party’s structure before the disputed leadership changes.
He added that “in the case between Nafiu Gombe versus ADC, David Mark, and Rauf Aregbesola, ‘status quo ante bellum’ means reverting to the ADC as it existed before Ralph Nwoye sold the party to Atiku Abubakar to serve as an SPV for the 2027 election”.
Onanuga also referenced claims by Nafiu Bala, who insists he remains the party’s legitimate vice-chairman and should have automatically assumed leadership following the resignation of the former chairman.
Reiterating his stance, Onanuga said the ADC should focus on resolving its internal disputes rather than accusing external actors.
“The ADC should stop blaming President Tinubu and INEC for its self-inflicted woes,” he added.
The crisis continues to cast uncertainty over the party’s future, as legal battles and internal divisions threaten its cohesion and effectiveness as an opposition platform in Nigeria’s evolving political landscape.
