A member of the House of Representatives, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, has given reasons why he and some colleagues left the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
NewsWatch Nigeria reports that in an interview on Channels TV, Uzokwe said their decision was linked to issues around the leadership of a political coalition tied to the party.
According to him, there were claims within the group that the coalition was formed in the home of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and that he treated the party as his personal structure, with the belief that others could not challenge him.
Uzokwe also said members of the coalition had met Atiku and asked him to step aside so that a fair process could allow other key figures such as Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi to take part in party primaries.
He added that if Atiku agrees to step down and allow the South to produce a candidate, Peter Obi could return to the party the next day.
He said: “We left ADC because Atiku Abubakar said the coalition was formed in his house, that ADC is his party, and that nobody can tell him anything. We went to him and asked: can you step down and allow Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and others to go into primaries? Let Atiku say today that he is stepping down and has conceded to the South, Peter Obi will come back tomorrow.”
