The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Benue State is currently grappling with a deepening internal crisis, following the dramatic reversal of loyalty by over 500 members who had recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
These individuals have now renounced the ADC and returned to their former party, citing broken promises and internal strife.
This political setback comes just days after the ADC’s much-publicized announcement of former Senate President David Mark as its interim national leader.
Mark, a prominent figure who served multiple terms in the Senate under the PDP banner, had attributed his defection to the PDP’s unresolved internal disputes and leadership challenges.
While Mark’s move was initially seen as a strategic victory for the ADC—likely to attract more defectors and reposition the party—it has instead triggered unrest and discontent among the party’s rank and file, especially in Benue South.
Insider accounts indicate that the unrest first emerged in Ogbadibo and Okpokwu Local Government Areas. Longstanding members of the ADC, many of whom previously belonged to the Labour Party (LP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), accused the new PDP entrants of attempting to hijack the party’s grassroots structures. Allegations include monopolizing key executive positions and marginalizing founding members and other loyalists.
“They want to corner all the juicy positions and leave us with irrelevant roles,” lamented one disgruntled party member from Okpokwu, expressing frustration over the perceived takeover by the PDP bloc.
The situation reportedly deteriorated further in communities such as Otukpa and Owukpa, where early defectors felt betrayed.
These leaders claim they were lured into the ADC under the assurance that their existing political influence and positions would be maintained. However, upon the unveiling of the interim leadership committee, none of them were included.
Sunday Agbo, a former local government ex-officio from Ogbadibo, voiced his disappointment: “We can’t remain in a party that lacks vision and a clear leadership structure. They promised we would retain our positions, but when the interim committee was announced, none of us were considered.
In fact, people who had defected to the APC from the PDP were given strategic roles. Even a serving ward secretary in Orokam was appointed into the committee while we were completely sidelined.”
The mass departure of these defectors back to the PDP underscores a growing perception that the ADC, despite its recent high-profile recruitments, is plagued by leadership instability and lacks the organizational depth needed to manage its internal coalitions.
As the political landscape in Benue State continues to shift, analysts suggest that unless the ADC urgently addresses its internal contradictions and fosters genuine inclusivity, it risks losing whatever gains it may have achieved with its recent realignments.