Aregbesola's Position Under Threat as South-west ADC Leaders Allege Constitutional Breaches

A faction of leaders from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the South-west region has called for the immediate removal of Rauf Aregbesola from his position as Interim National Secretary. This demand comes on the heels of allegations that Aregbesola has been involved in several constitutional infractions, which they claim are destabilizing the party ahead of the 2027 elections. In a petition dated July 28, 2026, and addressed to the National Chairman, Senator David Mark, the leaders cited various breaches of the party's constitution, including the creation of a parallel structure known as 'Omoluabi Progressive' across South-west states. This, they argue, is a direct contravention of the ADC's constitution, specifically Article 22, Section 1 (2, 3, 8, 9, 10, and 11), which outlines offences such as breaching the constitution, engaging in acts that could bring the party into disrepute, disobeying lawful directives, creating parallel organs, and colluding to convene unauthorized meetings. The petition, signed by several party officials including Olusoji Adebiyi, Abideen Okanlawon, Adesola Akitunde, Yinka Olona, Adebimpe Adelowo, and Ilesanmi Olaiya, among others, was also copied to the National Working Committee, the National Executive Committee, the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates for 2027, and the National Legal Adviser. Furthermore, the leaders accused Aregbesola of interfering in the party's candidate selection process, alleging that he worked in collusion with some individuals within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace duly elected ADC candidates with members of his 'Omoluabi Progressive' group who had not purchased nomination forms. They also held Aregbesola responsible for the ongoing crises in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo states, claiming that he overstepped his bounds by appointing parallel primary election committees and submitting them to INEC, a function that rightfully belongs to the National Organising Secretary.