The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Excise and member of the Nafiu Bala-led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Leke Abejide has resigned from the party following the Supreme Court judgement on Thursday.
Abejide, who represents Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State announced his defection at a media briefing in Abuja on Friday.
He lamented that “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”.
The lawmaker revealed that “I have strenuously discussed, consulted and dialogued with my political leaders, constituency supporters and people that enjoy my vision and missions that are in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria and I am ready to continue my support for this Progressive Club.
“I have prayed earnestly on this and the leading of the Holy Bible provides the leading light in the Book of Isaiah 9:10.
“The bricks are fallen down but we will build with hewn stones. The sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars”.
“I have decided to change the bricks that are fallen down in ADC to hewn stones in a better political party to have a good structure that will benefit my people and equally to change my sycamore tree in ADC to a strong enduring cedar of political certainty.
“Recently, on the 14th April, 2026 to be precise, I was purportedly proclaimed by the people that wanted to reap where they did not sow as being expelled.
“I wish to state that I have willingly and voluntarily exited and have since extinguished my membership of ADC by the Constitutional method permitted under the ADC Constitution.
“My political structure has put machinery in place for actualisation of my political ambition and further provisions of dividends of democracy through a platform that can accommodate that vision” he declared.
Speaking about his frustration in ADC, Abejide disclosed that “Around August, 2025, I took the leaders of ADC Coalition in persons of Senator David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Chief Ralph Nwosu and ADC as a party to Court.
“It was during the Court’s long vacation that my lawyers approached the Court and sought the Court’s approval to listen to the case, to get justice within a reasonable time frame as the electoral activities leading to primary elections were coming closer.
“The judge obliged and granted us an accelerated hearing to determine the case so that each party to the case can go ahead either with ADC or find another platform to achieve his or her political ambition.
“However, the defendants who are David Mark and others kept sending different people to join my case as a way to delay the matter from being adjudicated upon by the judge up to the time the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rolled out a timetable for political activities, for primary elections and General Elections in 2027.
“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.
“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 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 for an alternative platform to pursue my political ambition”, he stated.
Abejide, however, did not disclose the party he has moved to.
