African Democratic Congress, yesterday, ADC, yesterday, addressed the delay in the full membership of the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in the party.
This came as former Director-General of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ Forum, Mr CID Maduabum, resigned from the PDP and joined the ADC.
Also, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Delta State, Chief Ayiri Emami, has dismissed concerns that former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, would ditch the APC for the ADC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This is even as members of Obedient Movement weekend, warned ADC against selling its presidential ticket to the highest bidder.
Meanwhile, former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, VoN, Mr Osita Okechukwu, yesterday, declared that no leader of the ADC could inherit late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s 12 million votes.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja over the weekend, the ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, explained that both Obi and el-Rufai were allowed to complete certain electoral processes within their former political parties.
He said: “They were given the opportunity to finalise pending elections, including by-elections and the selection of governorship candidates, within their legacy parties.”
He reassured the public that both Obi and El-Rufai remained committed to the ADC coalition and would formally join the party after completing those processes.
Addressing concerns about the party’s internal democracy, Abdullahi said: “We have no hidden agenda or preferred candidate. Everyone will have a fair chance in the race for the party’s ticket.”
On legal matters, the interim spokesperson dismissed claims that the ADC was facing major legal issues.
“We are confident in the legality of every step we have taken. We made sure we closed all loopholes the ruling party might try to use against us,” he added.
He also kicked against the recent restriction order issued against Mr Obi by Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo, describing it as undemocratic and a sign of growing authoritarianism among APC governors.
He pointed to a statement by the governor declaring Peter Obi unwelcome in his state, as an example of this disturbing development.
“Nigeria is a free country, and every citizen has the right to travel freely across the nation. We don’t need visas to move within our own country.
“Since they failed to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, their new strategy is to issue threats, warning us not to visit their states. This is unacceptable and goes against the principles of democracy,” Abdullahi said.
Ex-PDP Govs’ Forum DG joins ADC
In a related development, former Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, C.I.D Maduabum, has resigned from the PDP and joined the ADC.
Maduabum in a statement yesterday, blamed what he called the party’s “moral decay” and internal breakdown for his decision to leave.
He said: “The PDP today is a shadow of what it used to be. It has collapsed into confusion, betrayal, and destruction by people who care nothing about the values on which it was built.
“I can no longer stay in a house that has lost its moral direction and is now controlled by opportunists.
“The ADC offers a platform for meaningful change, leadership that puts people first, and a fresh start to rebuild Nigeria from the ground up.”
Maduabum explained that his decision to join the ADC was not just a change of party, but also a move towards real political reform.
“I have joined the ADC as a reformer, committed to building a political culture based on merit, values, discipline, youth inclusion, and national unity.
“The time has come for all well-meaning citizens to take a firm stand against the rot in our political system.
“I remain committed to justice, fairness, and service to the people. The fight to rescue Nigeria and restore its promise has started, and this time, on a stronger foundation,’’ he said.
Obidients warn party against selling presidential ticket to highest bidder
Also, members of Obidient Movement in Ebonyi State weekend warned the ADC, coalition not to sell its presidential ticket to the highest bidder in 2027 election.
The movement reiterated that the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, remained the most qualified to lead Nigeria out of its current challenges.
It made a declaration during an event in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, to mark Obi’s 64th birthday anniversary, saying the presidential primary election should be free and fair for every aspirant seeking the presidency.
The event, which wrapped up a week-long series of activities, featured donations to vulnerable groups, including visits to a motherless babies’ home, a leprosy centre, and the distribution of free Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), to 100 motorcyclists in Ebonyi State.
Speaking to newsmen, a member of the National Advisory Committee of Obidient Movement, Dr. Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, described Obi as “an institution of hope”.
He said Obi as former Anambra State governor embodied the character, competence, capacity and compassion the country desperately needed in its current economic and political state.
“Within the week, we visited vulnerable places, hospitals, leprosy homes, and mother-and-baby shelters across the state. It is important to note that what is happening here in Ebonyi is also happening across the country and in the diaspora, wherever Nigerians are.
“We believe that Peter Obi, who is an institution of hope, represents the hope of the common man. Despite how bad things are, from corruption and economic mismanagement to leadership failure, we believe that a Peter Obi presidency is what Nigeria needs at this time,’’ Ezeh said.
In his remarks, the 2023 governorship candidate of Labour Party in the state, Mr. Splendour Oko Eze, cautioned leaders of the coalition party against turning the presidential race into a contest for the highest bidder.
He said: “Nobody is more qualified than Peter Obi. For those suggesting he should settle for vice president, how can a man who pulled this kind of votes? Who transformed a party with no structure into one that produced senators, House of Reps members, and even a governor, but was pushed aside?
“I want to warn the coalition parties: do not impose any candidate on the people. The coalition should be a platform for liberating poor Nigerians, not for selling tickets to the highest bidder. The most qualified person is Peter Obi.”
Omo-Agege has no plan to leave APC for ADC, but…, Ayiri Emami
Meanwhile, an APC stalwart, Chief Ayiri Emami, who spoke in the wake of recent defections into the APC, particularly in Delta State, said the former Deputy Senate President had no intention of dumping the APC.
Emami said: “People like Omo-Agege, I know, I can speak categorically about him, he doesn’t have a plan to leave. But one thing I know some of us will not accept is a situation where you come in and say you want to push us out. We will not allow it. That might cause another chaos. Nobody will leave.
“I don’t believe anybody can push me out. If I decide to step aside, that is a different issue.
“I am always very reasonable. If I meet somebody, somewhere, I will try as much as possible to see how we can work together, but a situation where you will come and say no and you want to lord it over us, I don’t think Asiwaju believes in that kind of politics because he is a politician, he knows what that means.
“People like me were almost killed because of APC in our community, even up to the issues we had in our palace, it was all political. I was accused of using the palace to do APC and today, everybody is there, and I am happy.
“I know a lot of people who were killed back then because they associated with APC. The APC chairman in Delta State is supposed to unite everybody. So those are the people causing confusion in that state.
“These were people that Ovie singlehandedly put together to ensure that they build up a party. As at then, some of us were telling him that what you are doing, don’t do it with your tribal people.
‘’I was against Ovie then because I said you cannot be running for governor, at the same time you have a party chairman from your place. Normally, if you are having a governor from the Central, the chairmanship comes to the South, the deputy governor goes to the North. So I was opposed to it, but the powers that be then did not see where I was coming from.”
No ADC leader can inherit Buhari’s 12m bloc votes — Okechukwu
Equally speaking on ADC weekend, former D-G of VoN, Mr Osita Okechukwu, declared that no ADC leader could inherit late Buhari’s 12 million vote-bank.
Speaking after an interdenominational church service in honour of Buhari, Mr Okechukwu said: “With the greatest respect to prominent politicians who expectedly want to inherit late President Buhari’s much celebrated 12 million vote-bank, one wishes to submit that the Buhari’s shoe is too big and his uncommon humanity, integrity, transparency quotient and moral compass are antithetical and herculean task to their aspirations.
“None of them throughout their public service has either the moral compass or ever waged an anti-graft war against primitive accumulation. They lack the character strength of Buhari for emulation, and have never campaigned for an election without the forbidden and unlawful baggage of vote-buying.
“We must appreciate that the mass appeal rating of Buhari as Mai Gasikiya (honest man) and their support for him was predicated on scrutiny of his transparency and truthfulness spanning over 50 years of public service.
“The masses are aware that some of these characters are those who allegedly stripped our state-owned enterprises, such as NEPA, Aluminum Smelter Company, Ajaokuta Steel et al, in the name of privatisation without commensurate result.”
He expressed surprise at the obsession of key aspirants of the ADC, who, he said, believed they could ride on Buhari’s 12 million vote bank with the northern card emblem.
“Flying northern card is a mirage because northern electorate is one of the most sophisticated, demonstrated by their patriotism in voting more for Abiola in 1993 and obliging Tinubu in 2023 more votes than the southern electorate.
“Those who crave access to the famed Buhari’s 12 million vote-banks are consciously pitching the north against the south in a bid to truncate the two terms convention for each region. ‘’They should have a rethink, because equity, justice and fairness constitute the bedrock of our democracy.
“At any rate, we have nothing to fear as none of them has either Buhari’s moral compass or discipline and most importantly, they never subscribed to Malam Aminu Kano’s Talakawa (proletarian) tradition to qualify for northern cult followership.
“Luckily, their Kangaroo bid to railroad majority members of Buhari’s defunct Congress of Progressive Change, CPC, to ADC failed woefully, courtesy of Ex-Governors Tanko Almakura and Aminu Masari.” (Vanguard)
