The founder of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu, has criticised his former deputy, Nafiu Bala, over what he described as a sudden change in lifestyle amid the ongoing leadership crisis rocking the party.
Nwosu, a pioneer National Chairman of the ADC, made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview with Lagos Talks, where he spoke about the leadership tussle threatening the party.
He claimed that Bala, who previously served as the Deputy National Chairman, could hardly attend meetings in Abuja without first receiving financial assistance for transportation.
According to Nwosu, whenever he invited Bala to a meeting in Abuja, the former deputy would wait for him to send N50,000 to cover his bus fare before making the journey.
He added that after the meetings, the party would still have to raise money to enable Bala to return home.
Nwosu said: “Before then, when I invite Bala for a meeting in Abuja, he cannot come until I send him either N50,000 to take a bus to come for a meeting, and so on. And he would not leave until we are able to also scratch out money to pay for his transport.”
However, the ADC founder alleged that Bala’s lifestyle changed dramatically after he took the party’s leadership dispute to court in September 2025.
He claimed that Bala subsequently moved into one of the biggest hotels in town and began moving around with security operatives and bulletproof sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Nwosu said: “This Bala, he went to court in September; we concluded the process in July, and from that September, he started living in one of the biggest hotels; he started moving around with security. He got bulletproof SUVs, more than three, moving with security.”
When asked whether Bala might have acquired the bulletproof vehicles because of security concerns, Nwosu questioned the explanation, citing the alleged cost of the vehicles.
He said: “Yeah, and then you can buy an SUV that is costing over N500 million.”
The allegations come amid the protracted leadership crisis within the ADC, which has triggered legal battles and disagreements over the party’s leadership structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
