The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed as illegal the convention that produced its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, as the party’s flag bearer for the 2027 presidential election.
The party insisted that there was no faction within the ADC, saying the gathering that reportedly adopted Kachikwu as the consensus presidential candidate did not follow due process and lacked the authority of the party’s recognised leadership.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this on Monday during a media briefing in Abuja ahead of the declaration of the party’s presidential primary election results on Tuesday.
Kachikwu had on Sunday emerged at a gathering of aggrieved party members held at A-Class Garden, Maitama, Abuja, where he was adopted as the ADC consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Reacting to the development, Abdullahi said the exercise that produced Kachikwu could not stand because it was not backed by the leadership recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He maintained that the only recognised leadership of the party was the one headed by former Senate President, David Mark, as National Chairman, and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary.
Abdullahi said, “If we start referring to a group of people who meet in a room to entertain themselves, that is not a good thing. INEC organises elections; this matter went up to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. It affirmed that there’s only one leadership of former Senate President David Mark and former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.”
The ADC spokesman said the party would not give legitimacy to any process conducted outside its recognised structure.
Abdullahi said the ADC was proud to be conducting what he described as the only real presidential primary election in the country.
He said the contest remained competitive among the three aspirants seeking the party’s presidential ticket.
According to him, no aspirant could confidently claim victory before the conclusion of the process.
He said, “In ADC, we are very proud that we are the only party that is conducting the real primary election in this country today. And even as you speak, none of the three aspirants can tell you confidently that he will fly the ticket of the ADC.
“We are very proud that we are giving Nigerians a very competitive internal democratic process. With the congresses and everything you have observed, the primary statistics today will culminate in the announcement of the winner tomorrow.”
The party’s presidential primary features former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; former Rivers State governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; and economist and former Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
ADC Claims 3.4 Million Members
Abdullahi also disclosed that the ADC currently has over 3.4 million registered members, based on the membership register submitted to INEC.
He said the figure was verifiable and reflected the party’s commitment to transparency.
He said, “Based on the register of members that were submitted to INEC, we have 3,444,000 members. This is based on the membership register submitted to INEC, after cleaning up the entire process. We are very clear about this.
“We are building a political party that is based on certain principles, which include transparency. So this number I’ve given you, you can go to INEC and verify it, and you’ll find it exactly like that.
“We are not going to start cooking up figures to deceive Nigerians.”
APC Inflating Membership Figures
The ADC spokesman also criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing it of inflating its membership figures ahead of the 2027 elections.
Abdullahi alleged that the APC was using exaggerated membership numbers to create the impression that it already had guaranteed votes before the election.
He said, “What the APC is doing is amusing and laughable. What they are doing is setting the stage for rigging the 2027 election by claiming they have 11m, 30m, or whatever number of members. What they are doing is to put it into your head to think that, ‘oh, at least 11m votes are guaranteed. It is all lies.”
He challenged the ruling party to produce a verifiable membership register submitted to INEC.
Abdullahi added, “If they indeed claim that they have 20 million members, they should produce a membership registration. They don’t have 20 million members; it’s all lies.”
Also speaking at the briefing, the ADC National Organising Secretary, Chinedu Idigo, said the party had put in place a careful process to ensure that credible candidates emerged from its primaries.
He said the party wanted candidates who would offer quality leadership if elected to office.
Idigo said, “We meticulously crafted the process that will make sure that we select the best candidates who, in any field or any position they find themselves after the election, will offer their best to Nigeria.
“The process we have put in place is making sure that the best is elected. For our presidential primaries, which are going on as we speak, by the time it’s finished, we will start producing the results in this hall.”
On allegations of falsification of figures and concerns about supervision, Idigo said the party complied with electoral guidelines and notified INEC ahead of the primaries.
He said, “You know I said that our preparations were very meticulous. We gave INEC the required notices and ensured they attended all our primaries, from the state assembly to the governorship.
“And the report reaching us here today is that the presidential primaries are also being supervised by INEC all over the federation. We are not like the other side. We are ADC.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the ADC Presidential Primaries Election Committee, Ikechi Emenike, said in a statement that the party had commenced nationwide voting to elect its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The committee described the exercise as proof of the ADC’s commitment to internal democracy at a time it claimed democratic values were being eroded in Nigeria’s political space.
The statement read, “What differentiates ADC from other parties in Nigeria is that it is the only party blessed with three eminently qualified aspirants who are capable of piloting the affairs of this country at this most difficult time.”
It added, “As you can see, each one of them is a genuine presidential contender, not some shadowy candidate contrived to confer legitimacy on a process where one man contested against himself.”
The committee assured party members and stakeholders that the process would be transparent and credible.
It also urged supporters of all aspirants to remain peaceful and uphold the spirit of sportsmanship throughout the exercise.
The latest disagreement reflects continuing tension within the ADC as the party seeks to position itself as a major opposition platform ahead of the 2027 general election.
While the David Mark-led leadership insists that it is conducting a credible nationwide primary, the emergence of Kachikwu from a parallel convention suggests that some aggrieved members remain opposed to the current direction of the party.
The party, however, maintained that only the process supervised under its recognised leadership would produce the legitimate presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
