The Action Democratic Party (ADP) is facing a crisis ahead of the 2027 polls due to allegations of misappropriation of campaign funds and tenure elongation of its National Chairman, Yabaji Sani. Sani has dismissed the allegations, insisting that he remains the party's National Chairman. However, loyalists to ADP National Secretary, Victor Fingesi, have warned Sani against fueling the crisis and demanded his suspension.
According to Fingesi, the decision to suspend Sani was taken by the party's National Working Committee (NWC) on November 3, 2026, following his series of constitutional breaches. Fingesi cited Article 45.1(a) of the ADP Constitution, which states that party officers shall hold office for a term of four years and shall be eligible for re-election only for one term. Sani has allegedly spent more than two terms (eight years) in office and has refused to step aside.
Sani had claimed that the four-year tenure of the party's Zonal, State, Senatorial District, Local Government Area, Ward and Polling Unit Executive Committees expired on May 30, 2026, while the four-month transitional period for fresh congresses elapsed on September 30, 2026. He proposed that the NWC should formally acknowledge the expiration, dissolve and reconstitute the affected committees, appoint Caretaker Committees for a period not exceeding 90 days, and approve a nationwide timetable for fresh congresses.
However, Fingesi faulted Sani's memo, describing it as illegal and a misinterpretation of the decisions of the National Convention. According to him, the National Convention of May 29, 2026, gave members of NEC another four years in office. Fingesi argued that NEC as constituted under the ADP Constitution covers officers from below the national level, including State Chairmen and other statutory members.
Fingesi questioned the invocation of Articles 17.3, 22.2(d), 23.2(e), 23.3, 45.1, and 47 of the ADP Constitution to justify emergency powers, dissolution, and appointment of caretaker committees. He insisted that the NWC cannot act on behalf of NEC to dissolve structures whose tenure, in his view, was renewed by the convention.
The National Secretary maintained that the illegal memo, if implemented, would amount to an unlawful dissolution of duly constituted party structures and could plunge the party into further crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections. The crisis has raised concerns about the party's ability to field candidates and participate in the upcoming elections.
The ADP crisis has also raised questions about the party's internal democracy and the role of its National Chairman. The party's ability to resolve the crisis and present a united front ahead of the 2027 polls remains to be seen.
Key points
- The ADP National Secretary, Victor Fingesi, has described Sani's memo as illegal and a misinterpretation of the decisions of the National Convention.
- Sani has allegedly spent more than two terms (eight years) in office and has refused to step aside.
- The crisis has raised concerns about the party's ability to field candidates and participate in the upcoming elections.
