A fresh crisis has erupted within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), threatening to overshadow the party’s preparations for the forthcoming general elections, as aggrieved members from Nasarawa, Kogi, Cross River, Anambra, Oyo and Lagos States accused the party’s national leadership of allegedly replacing candidates who emerged from duly monitored primary elections with preferred nominees.
In a petition submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the concerned members alleged that the party leadership was attempting to overturn the recommendations of the National Working Committee (NWC) Primary Election Appeal Committee, which reportedly reviewed complaints arising from the primaries and recommended the restoration of about 50 candidates across affected states.
According to the petitioners, the appeal committee conducted what they described as a painstaking review of the disputed primaries and affirmed several aspirants who had initially emerged through the party’s monitored nomination process. They, however, alleged that despite constituting the committee, the National Chairman had yet to implement its recommendations.
The petition further alleged that two senior aides to the National Chairman, his Special Adviser on Political Matters, CID Mmaduabum, and Chief of Staff, Suleiman Adoke, were at the centre of the controversy. The petitioners claimed the aides had assumed functions reserved for the National Working Committee and were allegedly influencing the chairman against implementing the appeal committee’s report because its recommendations were “not in their favour.”
The aggrieved members argued that failure to implement the appeal panel’s findings would undermine the authority of the National Working Committee, weaken internal democracy within the party and erode public confidence in the credibility of the electoral process.
“Uploading names of persons not recommended by the Party Appeal Committee set up by the NWC would erode confidence in INEC’s oversight of political party primaries, kill party internal democracy and undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process,” the petition stated.
The petitioners further warned that “INEC must not be seen as a collaborator in institutionalizing internal party dictatorship.”
One of the cases highlighted in the petition concerns the Idemili South State Constituency seat in Anambra State.
According to the petition, Hon. Chiamaka Jessy Okpala was the only aspirant who purchased the party’s nomination form, successfully passed the screening exercise and participated in the primary election monitored by the electoral commission.
Despite being the sole cleared aspirant, the petition alleged that her name was later substituted with that of another individual who had allegedly contested under the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The petitioners maintained that the appeal panel recommended the restoration of Okpala’s candidature but alleged that the recommendation had yet to be implemented.
As of the time of filing this report, neither INEC nor the national leadership of the African Democratic Congress had issued an official response to the allegations contained in the petition.
In a related development, concerned ADC stakeholders in Nasarawa State called on the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, to urgently convene a meeting of the National Working Committee to review, ratify and fully implement the decisions of the various appeal committees.
The stakeholders argued that respecting the recommendations of the appeal panels would strengthen party cohesion, reduce the likelihood of protracted litigation over nominations and improve the party’s electoral prospects.
They warned that unresolved nomination disputes could distract the party’s campaign efforts, weaken the chances of its presidential ticket and other candidates, and undermine the ADC’s ability to present a united front ahead of the general elections.
They therefore urged the National Working Committee to uphold the integrity of its internal appeal process, investigate allegations of internal sabotage and ensure that only candidates duly affirmed through the appeal committee’s recommendations are uploaded to the INEC nomination portal.
