Dalung Warns ADC over Caretaker Committee Inauguration as Supreme Court Case Remains Pending

• ADC chieftain Solomon Dalung publicly accused party national secretary Rauf Aregbesola of unilaterally signing appointment letters for caretaker committees across all 36 states
• Dalung said the move involved persons already removed from office by courts of appeal, with their case still pending before the Supreme Court
• The former minister warned the ADC risks damaging its 2027 election prospects if it proceeds with Wednesday's planned inauguration of the committees

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

Solomon Dalung, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former minister of youth and sports development, has publicly condemned what he described as a unilateral move by the party's national secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, to appoint caretaker committees for all 36 states without the approval of the national chairman.

Dalung said he woke up to social media posts showing appointment letters bearing Aregbesola's signature, naming members to manage the ADC's state-level affairs nationwide.

Dalung made the accusations in a video posted to his Facebook page on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Appointments said to contradict pending court case

The former minister's core objection is that the persons named in the letters are the same individuals courts of appeal had removed from office, and whose appeal against those rulings is currently before the Supreme Court.

"We woke up this morning with social media inundated with letters of appointment of caretaker committee members for the 36 states, signed by the national secretary of the party," Dalung said.

He called the action a "complete disregard for the judicial process", arguing that reinstating removed officials while the apex court has yet to rule amounts to the party pre-empting a judicial decision.

"This action of the party is intended to undermine the integrity of the judiciary and pre-empt the decision on the matter before your lordships at the supreme court," he said.

"This act is unacceptable to right-thinking Nigerians and lovers of the principles of the rule of law and democracy."

Dalung, who identified himself as a barrister of the Supreme Court, said he would not associate himself with any effort to weaken the judiciary's authority.

Dalung issues warning

Beyond the legal concerns, Dalung also questioned the procedural basis of the appointments.

He argued that letters of such significance should carry the signatures of both the national chairman and the national secretary, and challenged why the national chairman was absent from the correspondence.

He urged the party to call off an inauguration of the committees scheduled for Wednesday and to wait for the Supreme Court's ruling before taking any further action.

"Should the party proceed to inaugurate these persons, the consequences are obvious. It means the ADC is not committed to participating in the 2027 elections," he said.

Dalung described any fallout from the move as one the party would have brought upon itself.

"The party is going to pay dearly for it, and I do not think the supreme court will sympathise with the party because this would amount to the ADC acting as the supreme court of Nigeria and determining what will happen," he added.

He called on the party leadership to withdraw the appointment letters immediately and allow the apex court to deliver its verdict before making any administrative changes at the state level.

"El-Rufai's greatest mistake": Dalung laments

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was faulted for surrendering himself to security operatives before the commencement of his trial.

Dalung pointed out the fault while speaking on the dilemma of the former governor in an interview.

However, Nigerians have taken a swipe at the position of the former minister, adding that El-Rufai cannot confront the security agencies.

Source: Legit.ng