ADC crisis deepens as ex-PDP members emerge leaders in Ondo
…Alabere announced as new ADC chair The erstwhile Caretaker Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Tola Alabere, has emerged as the factional Chairman of the
...Alabere announced as new ADC chair
The erstwhile Caretaker Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Tola Alabere, has emerged as the factional Chairman of the crisis-ridden African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state, deepening the party’s internal wrangling.
Alabere was announced as the new helmsman of the Atiku Abubakar-led coalition-backed faction of the ADC following its state congress held on Saturday.
However, another faction of the party led by its chairman, Wole Ademoyegun, had earlier suspended its planned ward, local government, and state congresses.
Ademoyegun said the exercises, initially scheduled to commence on Thursday, were halted in compliance with a directive from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which instructed all factions within the party to maintain the "status quo ante bellum" pending the resolution of its lingering leadership crisis.
In a twist, the Atiku-backed faction went ahead with its congresses, producing Alabere as its factional chairman in Ondo State.
Other executive members that emerged from the factional congress include former PDP Organising Secretary, Dare Akinwale, as Organising Secretary; Oloye Ola Amure as Legal Adviser; Hon. Kunle Adeloye as Secretary; Hon. Ayodele Ogunsuyi; and Bobby Omotoso as Deputy Chairman.
Speaking, the Chairman of the ADC National Convention Committee sent to the state, Kehinde Agboola, said ward and local government congresses had been successfully conducted, paving the way for the state congress.
He maintained that the executives emerged through consensus and in line with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.
Agboola further alleged that the crisis rocking the ADC was orchestrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming it was aimed at weakening opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.
"The resistance of the APC shows that ADC is on its way to victory. This government came as if it had better alternatives. It removed fuel subsidies and imposed taxes on virtually everything. The loans taken in the last two years exceed those of previous administrations in this Fourth Republic," he said.
He expressed confidence that the ADC would emerge as a formidable opposition force in Ondo State.
Remarking, Mr Alabere said the faction’s goal is to deliver the state to the ADC in the next election, pledging to work with party members to expand its grassroots presence.
Also speaking, a factional leader of the party in the state, Hon. Bode Ayorinde, said the coalition had grown significantly, noting that it started with 15 members and now boasts over 1,000 across the state.
He, however, added that the Atiku Abubakar-led coalition adopted the ADC as a platform to challenge the APC and wrest power in the state.
Recall that the ADC governorship candidate in the November 16, 2024, election in Ondo State, Barrister Myson Nejo, had declared that the party in the state is not aligned with former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, amid a deepening internal crisis.
The ex-guber candidate, who described himself as the leader of the party in Ondo State, had also accused former members of the PDP of attempting to hijack the party structure in the state for their own political agenda.
Nejo declared that the ADC in Ondo State does not belong to, and will not be ceded to Alhaji Abubakar, insisting that the party must remain independent and inclusive of all tendencies within its fold.
Speaking with The Nation in Akure amid the ongoing internal crisis rocking the party, the ex-guber candidate accused some defectors from the PDP in Ondo of attempting to seize control of the party machinery with what he described as "arrogance and a predetermined agenda."
He also alleged that the involvement of former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola in the party leadership affair has worsened the crisis rocking the coalition-backed ADC.
"It is unfortunate that what we are facing in Ondo State today is a situation where individuals are trying to impose leadership amid widespread crisis. That cannot work.
"They plan to hand over the party to Atiku Abubakar. If that is what they want, they should rename it ‘Atiku Democratic Congress.’ But let me be clear: Ondo ADC is not for Atiku. Quote me anywhere," he declared.
