Abejide announced his exit during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
Leke Abejide, a member of the House of Representatives representing Yagba Federal Constituency in Kogi State, has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleging that the party has been hijacked by individuals with ill intentions.
Abejide announced his exit during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
He said the decision, though painful, became necessary to safeguard his political future.
“It is a painful decision but necessary to save my political future from those who came to destroy my former political party that I laboured hard to nurture and love dearly,” he said.
The lawmaker, who chairs the House Committee on Customs, revealed that he had earlier filed a suit in August 2025 challenging the leadership of the party under David Mark.
He, however, said the case was stalled by repeated adjournments, which he attributed to deliberate tactics by the opposing counsel.
“Due to long adjournment, occasioned by the opposing counsel’s tactics to frustrate the speedy hearing of my suit, my counsel then advised me I should be looking for an alternative party to pursue my political ambition,” he said.
Abejide said his legal team further warned that the leadership crisis within the party could jeopardise his chances of contesting future elections.
“Confronted by the frustration aforesaid that characterised the proceeding before the Federal High Court, my counsel further advised me that since ADC is leaderless and with the implication of not having a validly elected national chairman and national secretary respectively to sign my nomination form, which is mandatory by law before one can become a valid candidate, I should seek an alternative platform to pursue my political ambition,” he added.
He alleged that the coalition within the ADC was not aimed at strengthening the party but at sidelining loyal members.
“It was then the mission of ADC coalition was clear to me that their intention was not to grow the party, but to ensure people like me who have been contesting on the platform of African Democratic Congress since 2019… to achieve my political ambition but they have failed. I have since moved on,” he said.
Abejide further accused politicians who joined the party after leaving other platforms of unlawfully taking control of its structure.
According to him, he played a significant role in building and funding the ADC when it was relatively unknown.
“I funded the party structure as the national leader of the party, which I have willingly relinquished to the current national chairman, Hon Nafiu Bala, and I wish him good luck as he continues to fight for his rights in court,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that his resignation followed due process as stipulated in the party’s constitution.
“I wish to state that I have willingly and voluntarily exited and had since extinguished my membership of ADC by constitutional method permitted under the ADC constitution,” he said.
Reacting to a viral video involving Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, Abejide said he was never in the party to destabilise it.
“Let me put on record that I was not in ADC to scatter the party I laboured more abundantly to build… The party hijackers are the ones who came to scatter all the people they met on the ground by expelling this or that person without recourse to the constitution of the party,” he said.
The leadership tussle within the ADC has seen rival factions led by David Mark and Nafiu Bala laying claim to control of the party.
However, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed Mark to return to the Federal High Court for the hearing and determination of issues arising from the dispute.
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