2023: ADC in disarray, suspends presidential candidate

Few weeks to the kick-start of campaigns by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), one of the opposition parties in the country, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has suspended its presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu.

A member of the ADC National Working Committee, Dr Bamidele Ajadi, who incidentally is the Deputy National Chairman (Politics) disclosed in a statement at the weekend.

Tribune Online checks revealed that Kachikuwu and the Ralph Nwosu-led  ADC NWC have been embroiled in the cold war in the last few weeks over the extension of the latter national leadership by the ADC National Executive Committee.

Ajadi in the statement said the ADC presidential candidate was axed over an alleged false, misguided and defamatory video he made and circulated.

The ADC Deputy National Chairman said the party NWC  considered Kachikwu’s action “smacks of crass irresponsibility, gross indiscipline, disingenuous scandalisation and blackmail, and completely unfit of someone who wants to be President of Nigeria.”

He said the decision to suspend the party presidential candidate was taken after an emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held on Friday, 2nd September 2022. 

“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.”

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According to Ajadi, 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 unauthorised meetings, shall constitute acts of gross misconduct.”

Dr Ajadi further alleged that there have 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.

“His negative actions and/or inactions so far, have put in jeopardy the fate and prospects of all our candidates contesting for various offices across the country. The committee of the whole house, in a very clear and unequivocal term, condemned the said video in its entirety and described it as a piece of badly crafted blackmail and mudslinging, and thereby unanimously recommended his immediate suspension from the party from today, Friday 2nd September 2022. 

“This resolution would be forwarded to the National Executive Council for further actions.

“The NWC strongly believes that to demean the character of the founders and financiers of ADC, who have worked tirelessly to build an enviable brand that Nigerians are proud of, and which many great minds have stood elections; smacks of crass irresponsibility, gross indiscipline, disingenuous scandalization and blackmail, and completely unfit of someone who wants to be President of Nigeria.”

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2023: ADC in disarray, suspends presidential candidate