ADC crisis deepens in Enugu as Okonkwo alleges infiltration ahead of congress
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has raised alarm over what he described as growing internal and external threats to the party, warning that the situation
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has raised alarm over what he described as growing internal and external threats to the party, warning that the situation could undermine its planned congresses in Enugu State.
Speaking to journalists shortly after a stakeholders’ meeting in Enugu, Okonkwo alleged that the party was under siege from both “moles within” and external forces linked to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing them of plotting to destabilise the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Everybody in Nigeria now knows that APC wants to destroy ADC using the instrumentality of government institutions and also using some moles within ADC,” he said.
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He stressed that internal sabotage posed a more dangerous threat to the party’s survival, noting that “intimate enemies are more powerful than even the external enemies.”
According to him, the alleged plot is aimed at weakening the ADC to enable the APC to run unopposed in future elections, adding, “If they can destroy ADC, they will run unopposed.”
Okonkwo, who said he was in Enugu as a member of the party’s National Working Committee, maintained that there was no faction within the ADC.
“ADC does not have any faction. What you have are moles that are being used to see whether they can truncate ADC,” he stated, while reaffirming that the Enugu State executive remained loyal to the leadership of David Mark at the national level.
The ADC chieftain further accused the party’s National Organising Secretary of issuing multiple conflicting letters appointing different congress committees within a short period, a development he said had thrown the state chapter into confusion.
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“Within 48 hours, three different letters were issued, and this has thrown the whole state into confusion. We do not even know which congress committee is organising the congress,” he alleged.
He also raised concerns over the alleged sale of nomination forms to individuals who, according to him, are not bona fide members of the party.
“All the names they nominated, none of them has attended any meeting of ADC, even once,” he said, describing the situation as a “grand design” to sideline legacy members and compromise the party’s structure.
On the forthcoming congress, Okonkwo warned that any exercise conducted outside the party’s constitution would be invalid.
“Any congress that is not in accordance with the constitution and rules is null and void,” he said, adding that discrepancies surrounding committee composition and documentation must be resolved before proceeding.
He also revealed that tensions were rising within the party, with some members threatening legal action, but appealed for calm.
“Some people are threatening to take us to court, but I have been pleading with them to calm down,” he said, reiterating his commitment to ensuring that the Enugu chapter remains a model for internal democracy within the ADC.
