ADC: Drama as party chairman suspends presidential candidate over alleged anti-party activities

Crisis is currently rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the suspension of its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, for alleged anti-party activities.

The party on Saturday announced Kachikwu’s suspension in a statement by its Deputy National Chairman (Politics), Bamidele Ajadi.

But state chairmen of the party have declared the suspension of Kachikwu null and void.

They told a news conference in Abuja on Saturday that a National Working Committee (NWC) whose tenure had elapsed could not suspend the candidate.

They said the tenure of the NWC lapsed in August.

Kachikwu, and the 27 state chairpersons had earlier asked National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, to resign on the ground that he’s held the post for 17 years.

Speaking with reporters on Friday after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja, Kingsley Ogga, ADC chairman in Kogi, said he and some of his colleagues want a caretaker committee to be put in place.

State chairpersons are members of the party’s NEC and have the power to constitute a caretaker committee to take charge of the party.

“For good 17 years, he has been the national chairman and constitutionally, it’s not right,” Ogga said.

“We don’t want this party to crumble. They rated us as the third force. But today, the way they are handling this party, they are trying to kill it.

“Go to Kogi state and ask for ADC. We have a sitting house of reps member. We have been doing well in our federal constituency.”

On his part, Kachikwu, in a terse statement, said he is on the side of the state chairpersons.

Yes. I am aligned with the position of the state chairmen in insisting that the constitution must be respected,” he said.

The statement by the Deputy National Chairman (Politics), Bamidele Ajadi accused the flag bearer of making “defamatory” statements in a video that contravened ADC values and other anti-party activities.

It said the decision on Kachikwu’s suspension was taken on Friday at an emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting at an undisclosed location.

The party claimed that its 2023 presidential flag bearer’s behaviour “smacks of crass irresponsibility, gross indiscipline, disingenuous scandalisation and blackmail, and completely unfit of someone who wants to be President of Nigeria.”

“The NWC viewed with great concern the baseless and defamatory video made, published and circulated by Mr Dumebi Kachikwu, which was intended to disparage and impugn the integrity and image of a peaceful and transformation-oriented African Democratic Congress and its national officers,” Mr Ajadi wrote in the statement.

According to him, Kachikwu’s speech in the said video contravened the principles and values upon which ADC is founded and the specific provision of Article 16 of the ADC Constitution to wit: “Act(s) conduct or utterances likely to bring the party into hatred, contempt or ridicule; engaging in dishonest practices, defrauding the party, its members or officials; engaging in anti-party activities; unauthorized publicity of Party dispute or fractionalization or creating parallel Party organ(s) at any level; engaging in any other activities likely to cause disaffection among Party members or likely to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of party business; belonging to any such factional group or organ; collusion or conspiracy to convene unauthorized meetings, shall constitute acts of gross misconduct.”

Ajadi added that there had been several actions, publications and utterances in the past aimed at maligning the ADC national officers, which the NWC chose to ignore, for peace to reign.

“The NWC also noted that since the 9th of June 2022 when he was elected the presidential candidate, he has failed, neglected and/or refused to share with the party any meaningful, constructive or reasonable Presidential Campaign Roadmap for the forthcoming presidential election,” Ajadi said.

Addressing a news conference, Chairman of Forum of State Chairmen of ADC, Mr Kingsley Ogga, noted that the NWC had earlier convened a “fake and kangaroo’’ National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Aug. 26.

He said the fake NEC meeting lacked the constitutional requirement of seven days’ notice to be held.

“The said meeting was overcrowded with unknown persons and miscreants. State chairmen walked out of the meeting as non-NEC members were seated in large numbers.

“The purpose of the illegal meeting is best known to the National Chairman, the National Secretary and other members of the NWC.

“The said purpose was revealed when the fake meeting purportedly extended the tenure of the NWC.

“It is, therefore, important to state here that what transpired on Aug. 26 at the ADC secretariat was fake, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect,’’ Ogga said.

He called on INEC to disregard the illegal suspension of Kachikwu and prevail on ADC to convene to elect a new NWC.

He said since the tenure of the NWC had expired, the states chairmen were in charge and would convene a NEC meeting on Monday to elect new NWC members.

“They do not have the capacity to suspend the presidential candidate; their tenure has expired.

“The people constituted to be NEC members are state chairmen and our serving House of Representatives members,’’ he said.

In his remarks, the Secretary of the Chairmen’s Forum, Mr Kenneth Odiom, said Kachikwu was duly elected at the party’s primary election and there were no questions about his emergence.