ADC: Kachikwu-Led Group Announces National Convention, Plans Interim Leadership

A faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, has announced plans to convene a national convention and constitute an interim leadership to manage the party’s affairs.

The announcement was made on Tuesday in Abuja by the group’s spokesperson, Norman Obinna, during a media briefing following what he described as an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Obinna stated that the meeting was attended by state chairmen and other NEC members, and was convened to address the party’s ongoing leadership crisis.

According to him, one of the key outcomes of prior Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) efforts was an agreement that the party would hold a national convention to produce a new leadership, a process he said has yet to be implemented nearly two years later.

“The key outcome of the ADR, which was signed by both parties, was that the ADC would inevitably go into a convention to produce a new leadership. This has not been done for almost two years after,” he said.

The spokesman further accused the former national leadership under Ralph Nwosu of attempting to unlawfully transfer control of the party to individuals who were not members, while also trying to sideline existing state chairmen.

“He attempted to illegally transfer leadership of the party to people who were not members of the ADC. He put measures in place to remove all the state chairmen simply because they did not fit the mould of leadership representing elite interests,” Obinna added.

The group disclosed that it has instituted two court cases challenging the legality of those actions, even before the recent position taken by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Citing what it described as the absence of a National Working Committee since August 2022, the faction maintained that the NEC remains the highest legitimate authority within the party.

Obinna outlined several resolutions reached at the meeting, including a formal disassociation from a rival coalition led by prominent political figures.

“We dissociate the ADC from David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Bolaji Abdullahi and all members of the so-called coalition. All actions taken by them in the name of the ADC are not binding on the party,” he said.