Isaac Samuel
The leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) took a new twist on Tuesday as the party’s state chairmen vehemently rejected what they described as an unconstitutional attempt to hijack the party by a coalition led by former Senate President, Senator David Mark.
In a statement titled “Rejecting the Political Junta by Defending ADC and Nigeria’s Democracy Against Subversion,” and jointly signed by the forum leader, Elias Adokwu and publicity secretary, Godwin Alaku, the chairmen described the move as a blatant and reckless subversion of the party’s structure and Nigeria’s democratic values.
According to the chairmen, the alleged coalition is engaged in backdoor manoeuvres to forcefully take control of the party without regard for due process, internal democracy, or the party’s constitution.
The chairmen accused the group of prioritising personal ambition over party interest, warning that such actions threaten the integrity of Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.
“We unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms this desperate power grab, which represents not only an aberration of democratic norms but also a grave assault on our collective political values as a nation,” the forum said.
Dismissing the move as a mere disguise for selfish ambition, the ADC chairmen warned that it was not a realignment of political ideology but a civilian junta attempting to seize control outside legal and democratic processes.
They further argued that the attempted takeover insults the efforts of party members who have toiled to build and sustain the ADC as a credible political alternative
The forum warned that the party will not be turned into a tool for political mercenaries or ideological impostors.
They also challenged the coalition to reveal their true electoral worth, questioning their electoral value or ideological clarity.
“The ADC is not for sale, not for hijack, and certainly not a dumping ground for discredited power brokers,” the chairmen declared.
The chairmen also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject any move to legitimise what they described as an illegitimate junta, and urged security agencies to investigate attempts to destabilise the party through extra-legal means.
“We, the legitimate custodians of the ADC structure across the federation, reject this illegitimate junta and consider it our patriotic duty to defend the soul of the ADC and protect the sanctity of democratic institutions in Nigeria”, the forum said.
The forum also appealed to Nigerians and civil society organisations to remain vigilant against what they described as creeping authoritarianism within the political space, urging collective resistance to any subversion of democracy under any guise.
