State chairmen of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have condemned what they called an “orchestrated political coup” by a coalition led by former Senate President Senator David Mark.
In a statement signed by the forum’s leader, Elias Adokwu, and Publicity Secretary, Godwin Alaku, titled “Rejecting the Political Junta by Defending ADC and Nigeria’s Democracy Against Subversion”, the chairmen described the development as a “blatant and reckless subversion” of both the party and Nigerian democratic norms.
Among their complaints, the chairmen accused the coalition of attempting an unconstitutional hijack of the ADC by “manipulation and backdoor dealings”.
They said, “We unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms this desperate power grab, which represents not only an aberration of democratic norms but also a grave assault on our collective political values as a nation.”
The ADC chairmen dismissed the effort as a simple mask for selfish ambition, warning that it was a “civilian junta” aiming to gain control outside of legal and democratic processes, rather than a realignment of political ideas.
They also called the attempted coup “an insult to all those who believe in and have worked for democratic governance in Nigeria.”
The offended politicians accused the coalition of attempting to undermine the democratic process through “selfish ambition and extra-party inducements”.
The statement did, however, restate the party’s commitment to “democratic principles, the rule of law, ideological clarity, and peaceful political engagement,” emphasising that the ADC would never serve as a forum for “political mercenaries or ideological impostors.”
They also called on the coalition to demonstrate their genuine electoral worth, questioning their “electoral value or ideological clarity”.
“The ADC is not for sale, not for hijack, and certainly not a dumping ground for discredited power brokers,” the chairmen declared.
Similarly, the chairmen encouraged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resist any attempts to legitimise what they called an “illegitimate junta”.
They also urged the Nigerian public and civil society to oppose “creeping authoritarianism” and requested that law enforcement investigate the illegal attempt to undermine the party.
“We, the legitimate custodians of the ADC structure across all states of the federation, reject this illegitimate junta.
“We consider it our patriotic duty to defend the soul of the ADC and protect the sanctity of democratic structures in Nigeria,” the statement concluded.
In reaction, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party was tired of responding to non-existent issues.
He said, “How long shall we continue to respond to non-existent issues? Who are the members of this Forum of State Party Chairmen?
“Look, Nigerians should not allow themselves to be distracted from the real issues that face us as a people.
“Let us not waste our time on a gathering of a few people who are seeing that there is money to pick us from what they are doing. There is no issue that we have to respond to.”
