David Mark-led ADC expel Nafiu Bala, odas for alleged anti-party activities for National Convention

David Mark-led African Democratic Congress (ADC) for dia national convention for Abuja on Tuesday 14 April expel Nafiu Bala and members of im faction ova alleged anti-party activities.

Party members wey also chop expulsion na Stella Chukwuma, Honourable Leke Abejide, Kingsley Temitope Ogga, among odas.

Di faction of di party say di reason dem expel Bala na sake of im decision to go court to challenge di legitimacy of David Mark-led leadership witout say e exhaust internal dispute resolution mechanisms. Dem say dis amount to anti-party activity.

Di David Mark-led ADC hold dia convention despite di controversy ova di leadership of di party and drama wey dem bin face in securing venue for di Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Earlier, former member of di Nigerian Senate wey now be ADC member, Senator Dino Melaye, accuse di ruling party and FCT administration of frustrating dia venue arrangement.

"We be di owners of dis place, we sign contract, we sign agreement and dem open di place. We come dey hia around 11:pm yesterday, dem tok say order come from di office of di FCT minister and from above say make we go out.

Dem say dem wan lock up di place. I say, we don pay, we don sign agreement, why? dem say no, dem no fit do am again, say make we comot. Na im we say we no dey comot oh. Na im we dey since yesterday, dem no put on light, no water, no notin. Di light wey dey work now, na we carry our generator come. AC no dey work," Melaye tok.

BBC News Pidgin reach out to di Rainbow Events Centre for Abuja ontop di mata but dem neva respond to request for comment.

Melaye allegation dey come afta former Nigeria Vice President Abubakar Atiku raise alarm, make allegation early on Tuesday for im social media handle say di FCT administration dey threaten to cancel di license of di owners of di Rainbow Events Centre if di ADC convention true-true happun for dia.

"To force a private business owner to deny a lawfully registered opposition party di use of a venue no be governance, e no be politics, na di naked conduct of a regime wey don lose di argument, lose di pipo, and now, dem dey reach for di boot bicos notin remain for dem," Atiku tok.

"Di ADC don pay evri fee. Di ADC don sign evri contract. Di ADC no break any law."

Wahala ova convention venue

Di ADC national convention dey hold for di Rainbow Events Centre - wey be private business property for Abuja.

Dis na afta di party accuse di Minister of di Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and di federal govment say dem no want make di ADC national convention go ahead.

Ladan Salihu, for one TV interview say dem write to di management of di Eagle Square for Abuja to use di venue, but dem no gree. E tok say even big hotels for di Federal Capital Territory no gree make di ADC hold dia conventions dia, sake of alleged intimidation by di minister.

Di ADC convention tok-tok pesin give example of one hotel wey dem bin don agree wit for one of dia big meetings, but 24 hours to dat meeting day, di hotel cancel dia agreement and return dia money to dem.

"Our findings indicate say directly or indirectly - using third parties, di FCT Minister and di (federal) govment just make sure say we no fit secure any of dis venues," Salihu allege.

E add: "Di national symbol of our political cohesion and democracy na di Eagle Square, conceived by Babangida, finished by Abdulsalami Abubakar, and dem use am for di inauguration of Olusegun Obasanjo as di first president of dis our unbroken democracy, and political parties don dey use am consistently, irrespective of who dey for power.

"But today, dis na di shame of di nation say di main opposition political party dey denied of di privilege and di right to do our convention dia."

However, oga Nyesom Wike don deny say di ADC bin apply to use di Eagle Square and dem deny dem.

On Monday, Wike tell tori pipo say im no eva see any letter from anybodi wey say dem wan use di Eagle square, and im also call di oga of di agency wey dey in charge and e tok say dem no get any letter.

"E no get any way we go deny dem bicos we dey collect revenue from am, you gatz pay and nobodi don write to us," Wike tok.

Leadership palava

Di convention dey happun on di same day wey di Supreme Court suppose hear di appeal wey di National Chairman of di ADC, David Mark, file against dia former Deputy National Chairman Nafiu Bala wey dey drag di party chairmanship wit am.

Sake of dis plenty court wahala, di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) don tok say dem no go recognise either David Mark or Nafiu Bala as chairman of di ADC until court decide.

Dis decision don put question mark on dis national convention wey di ADC insist say e must go on, bicos Inec don tok say dem no go deal wit David Mark or im exco again.

Ladan Salihu wey be di deputy chairman of di media subcommittee of di ADC convention tok say dem get confidence say di mata wey dey for court go be in dia favour and dem no dey bothered.

According to Salihu, di timetable for di 2027 elections wey Inec don already release mean say dem no go afford to wait for di courts to give judgement on di cases, so dem gatz go ahead, and dem don give Inec di 21 days notice wey di law require, weda dem come di convention or not dey up to dem.

Wetin dey expected for di ADC convention

About 3000 delegates from di 36 states of Nigeria and di FCT dey expected to gather for di Rainbow Events Centre, Abuja for di ADC national convention on Tuesday.

Dis convention, according to ADC tok-tok pesin Bolaji Abdullahi, no be elective convention, meaning to say dem no go elect new leadership of di party.

Di national convention na usually di highest decision making organ for political parties, so any agreement wey dem reach for di national convention na final.

So, oga Abdullahi say dis convention na to give all di party delegates opportunity to ratify some of di major decisions wey di party National Working Committee (NWC) bin don make.

E also dey expected say di party go make clear to dia supporters across Nigeria wetin be dia outline for di 2027 general elections, especially as period for party primary elections go start in less dan one week time, according to di election timetable wey Inec don release.