ADC crisis deepens as caretaker committee rejects national convention
The internal crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) escalated on Wednesday, with the Temitope Ogah-led Interim Caretaker Committee rejecting the legitimacy of the party’s national convention and declaring all
The internal crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) escalated on Wednesday, with the Temitope Ogah-led Interim Caretaker Committee rejecting the legitimacy of the party’s national convention and declaring all decisions taken at the gathering null and void.
The Nation reports that the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC convened a national convention on Tuesday in Abuja, where delegates ratified reports from meetings of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). These included the expulsion of certain members, among them individuals linked to the interim caretaker committee that recently assumed control of the party amid ongoing leadership and legal disputes.
The convention also approved the adoption of a new constitution for the party.
Reacting on Wednesday, the Interim Media and Publicity Secretary of the caretaker committee, Don Norman Obinna, told The Nation that the David Mark group lacked the authority to organise such a convention, describing the exercise as a nullity.
He maintained that only the NEC is legally empowered to manage the party’s affairs, citing provisions of the party’s constitution, particularly Article 13, which authorises the NEC to assume leadership in the absence of the National Working Committee (NWC).
“By virtue of what we did or by virtue of Article 13 of the ADC constitution, the neck of the party which is the highest organ of the party has a mandate to take leadership of the party in the absence of the national organ committee,” he said.
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“So what we simply did… was invoke section 13 of the ADC constitution… to get two-thirds of the members to sign to validate the letter that we will be sending to INEC. And that was what we did.”
Obinna argued that recent legal and regulatory developments had already invalidated the convention held by the rival faction saying, “Yesterday, the Federal High Court… set aside the congresses conducted by the national working committee. And they also put a stop… to the convention.”
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He further claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had withdrawn recognition from key figures involved in the dispute.
“When you put these three issues together, it simply means that you cannot do something on nothing.
“If a man whose name has been removed from INEC portal does not have a locus standi to expel anybody from the party,” he said.
From a legal standpoint, he maintained that no valid convention took place, “There was no convention of the ADC yesterday because there was a court order until the 23rd of April when the matter will be decided. You cannot take an action, it simply means that they are banned from taking any action while the matter is still in court.
“What they did means nothing. People should not even pay attention to it,” he said.
The caretaker committee spokesman also dismissed the wave of expulsions announced by the convention, which affected several party officials, including members of his faction.
“You cannot expel the owners of the political party. I will call that exercise in futility, a journey that will lead them to nowhere," he asserted.
While accusing the Mark-led group of disregarding a subsisting court order, Obinna stressed that all parties were expected to maintain the status quo.
“The court expected that everybody should sheathe their sword and wait for the court to make a decision. As long as that decision is not made… what they did was an effort of futility… it will not lead to anything,” he said.
He disclosed that the caretaker committee had already initiated steps to secure recognition from INEC, including gathering signatures from NEC members.
“We needed 25 members of the NEC to sign… we ended up getting about 28,” he said.
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“We have also communicated with INEC and we are still waiting for their response.”
Obinna alleged that the party’s crisis stemmed from the failure of the NWC to operate in line with constitutional provisions, particularly regarding NEC meetings.
“We have not had a single NEC meeting… whereas the constitution stipulates that there must be a NEC meeting at least once every three months,” he said.
He added that key decisions, including the convention, were not properly ratified.
“We read the intention to conduct the convention on social media like every other Nigerian, whereas this is a decision that should have been ratified by the NEC of the party,” he said.
The spokesman further accused the rival faction of attempting to take over the party structure under the guise of coalition-building.
“This whole thing was not a coalition. It was a total hijack of the party,” he said.
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Drawing an analogy, he added, “It’s a case of people who were homeless and you decide to accommodate them… and they come and say they will now take over your room while you go and sleep in the kitchen.”
Obinna also criticised what he described as disregard for the rule of law, warning that such conduct undermines claims of reform.
“A man who talks about changing the narrative of Nigeria… must be number one when it comes to respecting laws of the land,” he said.
“If you are not able to obey court order, how are you going to change the narrative?”
He maintained that the actions of the convention should be treated as a distraction.
“They are trying to divert the attention of Nigerians from the substance… we should treat it as a distraction,” he said.
The ADC crisis, which has now taken both legal and political dimensions, continues to unfold, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s leadership and legitimacy.
