The opposition coalition on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, over claims that the party was hijacked by its leaders from across the country.
One of the leading figures of the coalition, Malam Salihu Lukman, stated during an appearance on an AIT Jigsaw programme in Abuja on Tuesday that there is no truth to the claim that the ADC was hijacked from its leadership.
The Kaduna-born politician argued that Kachikwu does not have the standing to challenge the takeover of ADC leadership by Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who serve as Protem Chairman and Secretary, respectively.
Lukman claimed that Kachikwu had been expelled from the party long ago and explained that the ADC coalition followed established rules to formalise the leadership changes.
He said: “I can tell you that we opened a negotiation with a wide range of political parties. And we went through processes, including conducting legal due diligence on the status of both the leadership and whether there are any pending litigation. In the process, we were also able to verify with INEC and address all substantive issues.
“I can tell you, some of the issues being raised in the public about some of the litigation, there are issues which, even by INEC records, if you go there, you’ll find out that they have been resolved long ago. So we didn’t go into this matter (coalition) with our eyes closed, desperate to have a political party,
“We took our time. We didn’t negotiate with just one individual; we negotiated with the whole leadership. At a point, we even had to sit down with all the members, in fact, more than once, all the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of ADC. So I want to make it very clear. If you check with INEC, you’ll find out that even the Dumebi Kachikwu who came out to make noise, and some others, I think about 15 of them, have been expelled from the party.
“And we were very clear that we were in a very safe ground. And proceeding further, we are not supplanting the leadership of ADC. We have accepted to work with them as partners; they are stakeholders. And I’m sure in not too distant a time from now, the interim leadership of the party led by Senator David Marks and Aregbesola will release a possible guideline to guide the position at the state level, and how the whole reorganisation of the structures of the party will proceed.”
Lukman also warned both INEC and the APC-led government against any attempts to hinder the registration of additional political parties, noting that the coalition supports the application of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as a credible alternative to ADC.
He reiterated the coalition’s stance to resist what they see as attempts by the APC to establish Nigeria as a one-party state.
He stated: “We want to ensure that INEC carries out its responsibilities. It’s not just about registering ADA; it’s about registering all groups that meet the requirements.
“In fact, we’ll get to a point when, if need be, we are ready to mobilise Nigerians to INEC to put pressure to ensure that they discharge their responsibility. Look, this democracy will be almost truncated once political parties are not allowed to exist.”
