David Mark: ADC Will Start Rebuilding Nigeria from Anambra

.Nwosu: I’m credible alternative to Soludo

.ADC faction rejects former senate president, David Mark

.No power can stop me from contesting 2027 presidential election, Kachikwu declares

Chuks Okocha, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka 

National Chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, has said that the party will form the next government in Anambra State.

Also, Anambra State governorship candidate of the party, John Nwosu who addressed supporters insisted that he is the only credible alternative to the current governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, adding that Anambra under Soludo is badly shattered.

But the leadership crisis in the coalition party continues to fester as a faction of the ADC, has dismissed recent claims to its leadership by former Senate President David Mark and his associates in the opposition coalition.

This was as the crisis deepened yesterday when Dumebi Kachikwu, the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, declared unequivocally in Abuja that he would contest the 2027 presidential election.

Mark stated that the party was poised to rebuild Nigeria, and that the onerous assignment will begin with Anambra State, where the governorship candidate of the party, Mr. Nwosu will be elected on November 8.

The national chairman was represented by the founder of the party, Mr. Okey Ralphs Nwosu, during the flag off of the governorship campaign of the party’s candidate in Anambra, which took place at All Saints Cathedral in Onitsha.

He said, “ADC is the new coalition party and it is happening strongly in the North and South, but Anambra is the birth place of ADC and the founder is from here, and I want to believe that the ADC will even be stronger here. 

“We want to bring a candidate that has business sense and will use it to turn around Anambra State. 

“We have never had good governance in Anambra but self-serving mediocres. People who know nothing other than looking down on others. We have brought the hand shake; our symbol to bring peace back to Anambra and the first governor that will champion that is a governor from Anambra, Mr. John Nwosu.

“I want you people to be serious about this project and we will use this to start rebuilding Anambra and then reach out to better the entire Nigeria through ADC.”

The representative of the national chairman also handed the party’s flags to its candidates. They included the wife of slain former member of Anambra House of Assembly, Mrs. Justina Azuka who is contesting to replace her husband, Barr. Donald Amamgbo, for Anambra South Senatorial by-election and John Nwosu, the governorship candidate.

Meanwhile, the ADC governrship candidate, John Nwosu stated that Soludo has failed Ndi Anambra, saying he has to go.

According to Nwosu, “Governance is not rocket science; but it is also not trying your luck or making bogus promises that are unkept. We are here to say to Ndi Anambra that you have a credible alternative to Soludo’s administration that has been tested and has failed.  

“If Soludo did not succeed in the first four years, he won’t succeed in another four years. Soludo failed Anambra on security; he failed us on development; he failed us on the respect for the rule of law. He also failed us, in respecting our traditional institutions. Simply put: Soludo is an all-round failure. He has to go!

“Leadership hubris laced with arrogance has impacted negatively on the state. Our state, hitherto a pocket of governance excellence, has regressed economically due insecurity.

“Under Soludo Anambra is insecure. It has become a crime scene, riddled with criminality and bloodletting. This has to change. Such carnage has to end!

“Under Soludo our people are underserved and overtaxed. He deployed brutality to collect revenue, and many have been maimed and some have died in the hands of his agents.

“My people, Soludo’s ‘solution’ has turned governance into Soludo’s ‘pollution’. We are offering a credible alternative. My people, Governor Soludo has failed. Soludo has to go. Anyone supporting Soludo for a second term does not love Anambra.  So, we must get involved and secure Anambra once again,” said.

Meanwhile,the ADC faction said it is making the clarification following the resignation of Chief Ralph Nwosu as National Chairman, a move which the party says has triggered a constitutional process for appointing his successor.

In a statement signed by Dr. Aminu Sani Alhassan, Special Assistant (Public Affairs) to the factional Interim National Chairman, Nafiu Bala, the ADC faction stressed that only bonafide members of the party can aspire to leadership positions.

The statement said: “In light of the resignation of Chief Ralph Nwosu, it has come to our attention that certain individuals, notably David Mark and his associates, have attempted to assert claims of leadership that are not only unfounded but also contrary to the principles and constitution of our party.

“First and foremost, it is essential to clarify that the resignation of Chief Ralph Nwosu did not create a free-for-all scenario within the ADC. Instead, it has opened a necessary dialogue regarding the future of our leadership, a dialogue that must be conducted within the framework established by our party’s constitution.

“The ADC’s constitution is unequivocal in stipulating that any individual seeking to assume a leadership role must first be a bona fide member of the party. This fundamental requirement cannot be overlooked or circumvented by any means.

“In accordance with the ADC’s constitution, the appropriate procedure for filling the leadership vacuum left by Chief Nwosu’s departure is through a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.”

The statement reaffirmed Bala as the party’s legitimate national chairman and called on members to remain calm and united.

It also expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to uphold constitutional and democratic norms in political party affairs.

“This meeting will serve as the legitimate forum for deliberating on the way forward and will be followed by ratification at subsequent levels of party convention. It is here that we will ensure that our party’s leadership is determined by those who are genuinely committed to the ideals and objectives of the ADC.

“We would like to emphasise that there is no provision in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regulations, the Federal Constitution, or the ADC’s constitution that permits an individual to assume leadership without fulfilling the requisite criteria of membership and democratic process.

“The actions being taken by David Mark and his cohort are not only a misinterpretation of our party’s governance structure but also a blatant disregard for the democratic principles that the ADC stands for.

“To our loyal and dedicated members, we urge you to remain calm and focused during this time of transition. The progress we have made as a party is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our genuine members.

“We must not allow ourselves to be distracted or disheartened by the antics of those who seek to disrupt our unity and progress. The ADC is a party built on the foundations of integrity, accountability, and democratic values, and we must collectively uphold these principles.

“As we navigate this period, we also wish to reaffirm our confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). We trust in its commitment to upholding constitutionalism and ensuring that the democratic processes within political parties are respected and adhered to. The ADC remains dedicated to collaborating with INEC to foster a political environment that is conducive to fair play and democratic engagement.

“In conclusion, we stand firmly behind Alhaji Nafiu as the legitimate National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress. His leadership will be instrumental in guiding our party through this transitional phase, and we are confident that he will uphold the values that our members hold dear. We call on all genuine members of the ADC to rally behind Alhaji Nafiu and to work collectively towards the betterment of our party and the communities we serve,” the statement said.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Kachikwu,

also insisted that no force, internal or external, can stop him from doing so.

Speaking during a press conference held at the nation’s capital, Kachikwu, who has been embroiled in an ongoing leadership crisis within the ADC, dismissed speculations about his political future.

He said, “Let me be very clear to you all. Absolutely no power will stop me from contesting in the ADC primaries come next year. None whatsoever.”

The former presidential candidate was responding to questions on whether he still belongs to the party, amid attempts by a faction led by Chief Ralph Nwosu to expel him.

Kachikwu dismissed the factional leadership as illegitimate, insisting he remains a full-fledged member of the ADC “yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

He further alleged that the current crisis in the party was part of a grand plan by a coalition of older politicians, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to hijack the ADC for personal political ambition ahead of 2027.

He said, “A few weeks ago, I warned that a group of mostly old former political office holders were executing a carefully orchestrated agenda to take over the ADC to prosecute Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition come 2027.”

He claimed that prominent political figures including Atiku, Peter Obi, and former President Goodluck Jonathan are part of a covert arrangement to use the ADC as a vehicle to clinch power, with Atiku positioning himself to run for president once again.

Kachikwu said, “Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a man who claims affinity and friendship with the South, does not believe any Southerner deserves to be president of Nigeria.”

The ADC stalwart went further to accuse some of the party’s state chairmen of colluding in a fraudulent scheme to legitimise the takeover of the party. 

He presented documents, including what he described as forged signatures submitted in court as part of a consent judgment, to validate his claim that the party structure is being manipulated illegally.

He said, “What is fraud? To use the ADC, they needed to free it of all legal encumbrances… and so they forged signatures of some of the chairmen… and presented it to the Court of Appeal as terms of settlement which was adopted as judgment.”

He displayed the alleged forged documents alongside copies of the chairmen’s international passports for comparison.

Kachikwu confirmed that petitions have been filed with law enforcement agencies, including the police and Department of State Services (DSS), for criminal investigation into the forgeries. 

He emphasised that signature forgery is a criminal offence, not merely a civil dispute.

The ADC’s internal turmoil has worsened following the controversial presentation of Mark as the new chairman of the party, a move Kachikwu dismissed as laughable.

Kachikwu said, “Ralph Nwosu presented David Mark to the world as chairman of ADC, even issued him a party membership card. 

“Weeks later, the same Nwosu wrote to INEC still claiming to be the national chairman. What a joke!”

He noted that despite media coverage suggesting otherwise, INEC has not recognised Mark as party chairman. 

The ADC, he explained, has not had a legitimate chairman since the expiration of its last National Working Committee’s (NWC) tenure two years ago, and efforts to convene a convention have been thwarted by internal wrangling.

Responding to questions about the ideological foundation of the ADC, Kachikwu admitted that the party’s professed ideals of meritocracy and justice were absent when he joined. 

However, he said he took it upon himself to infuse the party with those principles, which are now at risk due to infiltration by career politicians.

He said, “When I joined the ADC, there was no clear ideology but I worked to build what I believed the party could stand for. 

“That’s what we are fighting to preserve — a party that believes in meritocracy, the superiority of ideas, and a new Nigeria.”

Kachikwu also took a swipe at the broader political class, accusing them of weaponising ethnic and religious fault lines to retain power and suppress merit-based politics.

He said, “They (political class) convince millions of poor northerners that a southern President, Bola Tinubu hates them and that he is the cause of their poverty. 

“Meanwhile, they have done nothing to alleviate the under-education and impoverishment of the North.”

On whether he has a contingency plan if the ADC remains in crisis, Kachikwu said the question is moot, because he will not be forced out of the party.

He said, “Those who tried to hijack our party have realised they bought a bad market. They have a Plan B, because they know they have me to contend with in the ADC.”

He concluded the briefing with a call to Nigerians to resist those he described as “co-travellers” of Atiku and to fight for a truly equitable Nigeria.

“We don’t burn our houses to kill rats and cockroaches. We clean the house so they leave on their own. My prayer is that Nigeria will soon work for every one of us,” he said.