The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kogi State has accused the former party chairman, Kingsley Temitope Ogga, of planning to disrupt the party through frivolous lawsuits and unguarded public statements.
The Kogi State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Comrade John Adaji, disclosed this on Friday while addressing newsmen in Lokoja. He stated that Kingsley Ogga was not only suspended but also fully expelled from the party.
According to the party, Ogga’s decision to sue the party over ongoing merger talks with the All Progressives Congress (APC), coupled with his public utterances, is unwarranted, as he is no longer a member and cannot speak or take positions on behalf of the party.
“Kingsley Temitope Ogga was suspended in 2022. A vote of no confidence was passed on him by his ward executives on August 25, 2022, leading to his suspension.
“The ward executives also communicated his suspension to the local government and state executives on September 9, 2022. The state executive ratified the suspension during its meeting on Monday, October 31, 2022, with 13 out of 15 state executive members endorsing the decision.
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“Mr. Kingsley Ogga’s suspension was a result of various anti-party activities, gross misconduct, unguarded utterances aimed at tarnishing the party’s image, and attempts to destabilize the party through undue negative publicity. These actions contravened Article 6, Sections 1, 2, and 4; Article 22, Section 6; and Article 32, which pertains to the Oath of Office.
“Other offenses include the embezzlement of funds meant for ward office accommodation, misappropriation of funds allocated for the 2022 primary elections, and non-payment of ward dues.
“The process of joining a party begins at the ward level, and the process of exiting a party follows the same route. Having followed these processes from the ward level, which ultimately led to his expulsion at the state level, Ogga’s recent lawsuit challenging the National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, over the merger talks with the APC is baseless and without merit.
“Ogga’s actions are akin to a Ghanaian citizen suing a political party in Nigeria—he is not a Nigerian citizen, let alone having the standing to sue a party.”
Adaji emphasized that the party would not have responded to Ogga’s antics, which they view as a ploy to gain cheap popularity. “However, we find it necessary to make this public response to ensure the innocent public is not misled by a character like Kingsley Ogga. It is also an opportunity to set the record straight.”
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