The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress took a dramatic turn on Tuesday as state chairmen of the party condemned the coalition led by former Senate President, Senator David Mark.

In a statement jointly signed by the forum leader, Elias Adokwu and Publicity Secretary, Godwin Alaku, and titled “Rejecting the Political Junta by Defending ADC and Nigeria’s Democracy Against Subversion,” the chairmen described the development as a blatant and reckless subversion of both the party and Nigeria’s democratic norms.

“The Concerned State Chairmen of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a scathing condemnation of what they describe as an “orchestrated political coup” by a coalition led by Senator David Mark, labelling it a “blatant and reckless subversion” of the party and Nigeria’s democratic norms,” the statement said.

Among their grievances, the chairmen accused the coalition of plotting an unconstitutional hijack of the ADC through “manipulation and backdoor dealings.”

“We unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms this desperate power grab, which represents not only an aberration of democratic norms but also a grave assault on our collective political values as a nation,” the chairman said.

Dismissing the move as a mere disguise for selfish ambition, the. ADC chairmen warned that it was not a realignment of political ideology but a “civilian junta” attempting to seize control outside legal and democratic processes.

They further described the attempted takeover as an insult to all those who believe in and have laboured for democratic governance in Nigeria.”

The aggrieved politicians accused the coalition of working to fracture the democratic process through selfish ambition and extra-party inducements.

The statement, however, reaffirmed the party’s commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, ideological clarity, and peaceful political engagement, stressing that the ADC would never be a platform for “political mercenaries or ideological impostors.”

They also challenged the coalition to reveal their true electoral worth, questioning their electoral value or ideological clarity.

“The ADC is not for sale, not for hijack, and certainly not a dumping ground for discredited power brokers,” the chairmen declared.

Similarly, the chairmen urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to reject any attempt to legitimise what they termed an “illegitimate junta.”

They also called on the Nigerian public and civil society to resist “creeping authoritarianism” and demanded that law enforcement agencies investigate the unlawful bid to destabilise the party.

“We, the legitimate custodians of the ADC structure across all states of the federation, reject this illegitimate junta.

“We consider it our patriotic duty to defend the soul of the ADC and protect the sanctity of democratic structures in Nigeria,” the statement concluded