Ex-ADC presidential candidate slams Atiku, David Mark, others over adoption of party

Dumebi Kachikwu said Ralph Nwosu, with whom the coalition went into alliance, ceased to be the Chairperson of ADC in 2023.

Former presidential candidate  of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, said he was amused that the Atiku Abubakar-led coalition entered into alliance with Ralph Nwosu, whom he said has since ceased to be the national chairman of the party.

Mr Kachikwu said this in a statement he shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday .

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the National Opposition Coalition Group adopted the party to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

Promoters of the coalition, apart from Atiku include former Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Rotimi Amsechi of Rivers State, Gabriel Suswam of Benue, and Sule Lamido of Jigawa State.

It has also appointed a former Senate President, David Mark, and a former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, as the ADC interim national chairman and secretary, respectively.

The coalition unveiled the ADC on Wednesday in Abuja as its platform for the coming election. It has also taken over the entire structure of the party.

This indicates that Mr Nwosu has ceased to be the national chairman of his faction of the party.

Nwosu no longer ADC chair since 2022

In his statement titled, “Re: David Mark appointed as ADC interim chairman – My Response,” Mr Kachikwu said the tenure of the Nwosu’led executive lapsed on 21 August 2022 and that it was the subject of litigation in different courts.

“The tenure of the Nwosu led executive lapsed on August 21, 2022, and his continued parade of himself as the chairman of the party was the subject of various litigations in different courts across the country,” he said.

The former presidential hopeful stated that if coalition members want to be members, they should “do the proper thing and come through the front door.

“We are a party of decent and well-behaved people. Our brand of opposition is one that not only opposes but proposes, something that your group is not conversant with,” he said.

Earlier, a group of ADC members had also rejected the coalition’s adoption of the party, saying it is not a one-man project.

Read Mr Kachikwu’s statement

Dear ADC family and fellow Nigerians,

It is with the greatest amusement that I watched the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led group announce their takeover of the national leadership of the African Democratic Congress. As is expected I have been inundated with a lot of calls and messages seeking my reaction to the unfolding dramedy.

The facts of the matter are as follows:

The Atiku led group are in some form of alliance with the former leadership of the party led by Ralph Nwosu. The tenure of the Nwosu led executive lapsed on August 21, 2022, and his continued parade of himself as the chairman of the party was the subject of various litigations in different courts across the country.

From the foregoing, I want to then pose the following questions: Can you build something on nothing? Can you shave a man’s hair in his absence? Can you enter a man’s house through the back door and declare yourself the landlord? These yesterday’s men who represent a bad chapter in Nigeria’s past have bought bad market from a man who represents a bad chapter in ADC’s past.

Nigerians have watched in amazement as this group of mostly geriatrics shopped around for a party to prosecute their ‘chopping must continue’ ambition.

This further cements the opinion most hold that political parties in Nigeria stand for nothing and will fall for anything. They have told us that they are fighting for the rights of ordinary Nigerians and that they are on a rescue mission but what is confusing to the Nigerians they want to rescue is that these men made up of a former vice president, former governors, ministers and political office holders are the same people who have presided over the affairs of this nation for the past four decades.

We have nothing to show for their decades of leadership other than being seen as a nation divided by tribe and religion and thriving in mediocrity. We are a nation lacking in the basics whose majority are poor but here we are watching those who set our nation on fire saying they are the fire brigade.

No, you are not; you are a bunch of greedy and selfish old men who believe that political power is your birthright. You stand for nothing other than your interests and will pay any price to hold political office.
Nigerians are tired of your generation and reject everything you have to offer which is nothing. Nigerians yearn for new names, new faces, fresh ideas and progressive ideals.

We yearn for a new Nigeria that thrives on meritocracy and deemphasises tribe and religion. We dream of a nation that works for all Nigerians irrespective of region or religion. We want a nation whose laws and opportunities are equal to all men. We desire inclusiveness for all and social protections for the weak amongst us. Nigerians have never asked for much other than a leadership that truly cares. You have failed us and stand rejected by us.

If you seek to be a part of the ADC, do the proper thing and come through the front door. We are a party of decent and well-behaved people. Our brand of opposition is one that not only opposes but proposes, something that your group is not conversant with.

I strongly suspect that you will be shopping for another party very soon and as you do that, we the members of the African Democratic Congress wish you Bon Voyage.

Thank you and God bless.

Dumebi Kachikwu
ADC Presidential Candidate in the 2023 presidential elections.