Ogun ADC Appeals for Dialogue as Internal Disputes Threaten to Distract Members Ahead of 2027

For members of a political party preparing for another election cycle, internal disputes are not simply arguments among leaders. They can affect how candidates emerge, how supporters organise and how much time and attention the party can devote to campaigning and building its structure.

That concern is now at the centre of an appeal by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ogun State, where the party has asked members to pursue dialogue and internal reconciliation instead of repeatedly taking disagreements to court.

The ADC's Ogun State Publicity Secretary, Olumide Onabajo, made the appeal in a statement released on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

Onabajo said the party was concerned about what he described as an increasing resort to litigation over matters he believed could be resolved through the party's internal dispute-resolution mechanisms.

He also alleged that some people who recently joined the ADC from other political parties could be attempting to deepen divisions within the organisation.

The allegation is a position expressed by the party spokesman and should not be treated as an established fact.

Onabajo argued that prolonged legal disputes could consume the party's time, resources and energy at a period when it should be concentrating on mobilisation, organisation, policy development and preparations for the 2027 elections.

He urged leaders, aspirants, stakeholders and ordinary members with grievances to pursue reconciliation before considering court action.

The immediate issue for members is not only who wins an internal argument.

Political parties depend on their members to organise meetings, mobilise supporters, build local structures and participate in the processes through which candidates are selected.

When internal disagreements become prolonged legal battles, those activities can become harder to coordinate.

Onabajo therefore framed dialogue as a way of protecting the party's wider organisational interests.

He said:

“There will be disagreements. There will be competing ambitions. There will be differences of opinion. These are normal features of democratic politics. But disagreements must not become permanent wars.”

He also told members that the party should remain above individual ambitions and encouraged them to use its internal mechanisms for resolving grievances.

No independent personal testimonies from ordinary Ogun ADC members were provided alongside the statement, so there is no basis for claiming how individual members themselves have experienced the disputes.

The issue extends beyond the ADC.

Nigeria's electoral system has long dealt with disputes over party leadership, congresses, primaries and nominations. INEC has previously identified intraparty crises and litigation as problems that can divert attention from the administration of elections.

In a February 2026 address to political parties, INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan expressed concern about leadership disputes within political parties and said litigation involving the Commission could divert attention from its main responsibility of organising free, fair and credible elections.

The Electoral Act 2026 has also introduced changes concerning disputes over the internal affairs of political parties. Section 83(5) restricts courts from entertaining suits concerning such internal affairs, subject to the qualifications contained in the law.

The law originally included a mandatory minimum-cost provision under Section 83(6)(b). However, reporting on a subsequent Federal High Court judgment indicates that the court declared that particular provision unconstitutional. The existence of the court challenge means the financial-penalty aspect should not be presented as though it remains an uncontested rule.

At the same time, the new legal framework does not mean every dispute connected to a political party automatically disappears from the courts. The boundaries between internal party matters and legally justiciable electoral disputes remain important.

The consequences of internal party disputes can extend beyond party officials.

Political parties are the organisations through which candidates seek elective office. Their internal processes can therefore eventually affect the choices presented to voters.

For aspirants, prolonged disputes can create uncertainty over leadership structures, nomination processes and the legitimacy of competing political claims.

For ordinary party members, persistent factional disagreements can make it more difficult to know which structures or instructions represent the recognised position of the organisation.

For voters, the wider concern is whether political parties can resolve their internal disagreements early enough to concentrate on presenting candidates, policies and programmes before the 2027 elections.

This is particularly relevant as INEC continues preparations for the next electoral cycle and works to align party regulations with the Electoral Act 2026. The Commission has specifically identified reducing pre-election disputes as part of that effort.

The Ogun ADC leadership is calling on its members, leaders and aspirants to use dialogue, reconciliation and internal dispute-resolution mechanisms before turning to litigation.

The party's appeal does not itself determine whether any particular dispute is legally justiciable. Individual cases will continue to depend on the facts, the law and decisions of the courts.

For the ADC, however, the immediate stated objective is clear: reduce internal conflict and devote more attention to organising for the 2027 elections.

A political party's strength is also tested internally

The ADC's appeal highlights a broader reality of electoral politics: winning public support requires more than attracting voters from outside a party. Political organisations also have to manage disagreements among their own members.

Differences over leadership and political ambition are normal in a democratic organisation. The more difficult task is resolving those differences without allowing them to consume the structures that members and candidates depend on.

For Ogun's ADC, the coming months will show whether its call for reconciliation can translate into a more stable internal organisation ahead of 2027.