League of Northern Democrats Cautions ADC against Holding National Convention

* PDP stakeholders consider Accord party as last-minute option

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The promoter of All Democratic Alliance (ADA) and League of Northern Democrats, Dr. Umar Ardo, has cautioned the African Democratic Congress (ADC) against holding its planned national convention this week to avoid suffering the fate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Meanwhile, it was learnt that stakeholders of the PDP were considering Accord Party for their presidential aspirants to actualise their ambitions.

Ardo said that the ADC would incur the wrath of the judiciary for disobedience to court order that directed that nothing should be done to affect the decision of the court by the affected factions in the dispute.
Ardo argued that all hopes was not lost in the registration of the ADA, as its registration dispute was still a subject of litigation in the court.

Speaking with THISDAY, Ardo argued that had the leadership of the ADC  supported its earlier decision to support the registration of an alternative political party, like the ADA, they would not have been in this quagmire
According to him, “Though I am not an ADC member, but I do not support the ADC going ahead with its planned congresses and convention as it is, in my opinion, a violation of the Court of Appeal order that no party in the dispute should do anything that would compromise the suit before the Federal High Court.

“The David Mark-led executive is the key party to this suit. It is in its own best interest and that of the Nigerian state therefore not to do so.  
“Doing otherwise is falling into the trap of the regime as the rule of law would not be kind to the party. It should learn from the mistakes of PDP in Ibadan,” Ardo stated

He said that it was a pity that the ADC was falling into this trap because it did not plan with a second alternative.

Ardo explained that if the leadership of the ADC did not direct all members of the ADA to join the ADC, that would have been a second alternative in view of the present situation.

Reminded that the ADA is not a registered political party yet, Ardo said, “We are in the court and there is the prospect that the court will compel in the registration of the ADA as it has done in compelling of other political parties, stating the “ADA will not be an exception”.

According sources within the PDP, there is a groundswell of opinion that if the Supreme Court did not hear the appeal filed by the Tanimu Turaki-led party before the registration of presidential election deadline that the PDP could seek an alternative political party that shares the same political ideology with the PDP.

One of the sources who did not want to be quoted as he was not authorised to speak said, “We have a second alternative. The alternative is the Accord Party. In the past, the Accord party has been working a familiar track like this with the PDP.

“Every political stakeholder of the PDP know that in some cases,the Accord party has been there for the PDP. We are looking forward with that relationship with Accord party.