Due to alleged anti-party conduct, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has suspended Dumebi Kachikwu, its 2023 presidential candidate.
Bamidele Ajadi, the party’s Deputy National Chairman (Politics), announced his suspension in a statement on Saturday.
Mr. Ajadi claimed in the statement that Mr. Kachikwu had made “defamatory” claims that were against the ADC’s principles, while also charging him with further anti-party offenses.
He said that an emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held on Friday at an undisclosed location resulted in the decision to suspend the candidate.
Mr. Ajadi called the presidential candidate for the party’s 2023 election to move a demonstration of “crass irresponsibility, severe indiscipline, dishonest scandalization,” and an attempt to use blackmail to force the executives of the party to do what he wanted.
Such a mindset, he claimed, is inappropriate for someone vying to lead Nigeria.
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Mr. Ajadi said in his statement, “The NWC viewed with great concern the baseless and defamatory video made, published, and circulated by Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, which was intended to disparage and impugn the integrity and image of a peaceful and transformation-oriented African Democratic Congress and its national officers.”
“Act(s) conduct or utterances likely to bring the party into hatred, contempt or ridicule; engaging in dishonest practices, defrauding the party, its members or officials; engaging in anti-party activities; unauthorized publicity of Party dispute or fractionalization or creating parallel Party organ(s) at any level; engaging in any other activities likely to cause disaffection among Party members or likely to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of party business; belonging to any such factional group or organ; collusion or conspiracy to convene unauthorized meetings, shall constitute acts of gross misconduct.”
The video that the deputy chairman had referred to was not available to Clariform at the time of this report.
Mr. Ajadi also claimed the candidate had “refused to share with the party any meaningful, constructive or realistic Presidential Campaign Roadmap for the 2023 presidential election” since he won the primaries.
“His unfavorable actions and/or inactions to this point have jeopardized the future and chances of all our candidates running for seats across the nation. “
Mr. Ajadi further wrote, “This resolution would be forwarded to the National Executive Council for further actions”
While we can confirm that the Deputy National Chairman (Politics) of the ADC is given the authority to preside over meetings in the chairman’s absence under Article 14(2) of the ADC constitution, we are unable to confirm the location of the chairman at the time the meeting was allegedly held.
It is also unknown if Ralph Nwosu, the chairman, agreed with the NWC’s choice. His known phone number was called for confirmation, but was not picked up.
The ADC National Secretary, Baba Abdullahi, and Mr. Kachikwu were contacted by Clariform reporter to comment on the most recent events, but none of them returned the calls.
Before the most recent incident, there was unrest at the ADC national secretariat in Abuja earlier in the week as 27 party state chairs demanded Mr. Nwosu’s resignation.
The National Chairman, according to them, had overstayed his welcome. It is said that Mr. Nwosu has served as the party’s chairman for 17 years.
