South East ADC leaders reject dissolution

The South East leadership of African Democratic Congress, ADC, has rejected the dissolution of the party’s National  Working Committee  by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The leaders, in their turn, described the action taken by INEC as needless and worthless.

Deputy chairman, Imo ADC, Chief Damien Ezeagu, said the decision of INEC not to recognize the party is nothing but dictatorial and an affront against Nigeria’s democracy. According to him, “INEC’s decision to remove ADC and its leadership from its portal cannot stand. It is  a decision that does not have the backing of the law. We have looked at it from various angles and prisms and discovered that INEC was wrong in its decision. Therefore, we call on all our supporters to continue the massive moblization  to ensure our victory in the 2027 general elections”.

Also, the Owerri Zone ADC chairman, Chief Ben Mere, also known as Apex Leader, highlighted that based on the Supreme Court verdict in the case between Godswill Akpabio and the APC in 2023 settled the matter at hand.

“INEC has to accept that it erred in this matter. This is so because the Supreme Court had rested this matter when it ruled in favour of Akpabio that INEC has no power in the internal matters of political parties. Recall that Akpabio went for the APC presidential primaries where he lost. He eventually controversially emerged as the APC senator – elect. Of coursse, his major rival in the APC senatorial primary election took the case to the court and it went up to the Supreme Court where it ruled in favour of Akpabio as I pointed out above.

“It means that INEC has no rights or powers to talk about the internal matters of political parties, including ADC. What it did is nothing but recklessness, mindlessness and unlawful. Thus, the national leadership of ADC has directed the teeming members of the party to be more alert and even more motivated more than ever before”, Mere narrated.

In his response, the deputy national chairman who doubles as the zonal chairman, South East, Sir Bon Unachukwu, stated that “Let our members across Nigeria not panic  or feel disturbed about what INEC did. We have consulted our lawyers and notable legal luminaries in the country, and they have have informed us that INEC acted ultra vires. That means that INEC’s action cannot stand and must be reversed. At the end of the day, we shall triumph”.

In a press conference following INEC’s delisting of ADC from its portal, the national leadership of the party led by David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Rotimi Amaechi, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi dismissed the dissolution action as non issue. In particular, Obi, while fielding questions from journalists disclosed that “ADC will surely contest the 2027 general elections”.

In a published report, an account noted that INEC was wrong in its pronouncement. According to it, “INEC knows that they are wrong and cannot hold their position for long. APC knows that also. Their only single agenda is to stop the defection momentum gathering around ADC. Prevent more people even in APC from defecting to ADC until INEC window for submission of parties register closes. Bala Mohamed, Makinde, Fubara, many Senators and house of Reps members are making last minutes rush to move to ADC”.

It added, “APC wants to use INEC to stop that. That is the mission.

Beside this, Nafiu Gombe has resigned, INEC acknowledged the letter of resignation. David Mark and ADC have written to INEC for convention which INEC acknowledged. If appeal court says status quo be maintained, there was no period where ADC didn’t have leadership. If David Mark’s leadership is not the status quo, therefore, Ralph Nwosu leadership should be the Status quo. Nafiu Gombe has never been the ADC chairman, but only went to court to be recognized as the chairman. Hence, his position cannot be the status quo because putting it that way means that INEC has given the judgement that court should give”.