Exclusive! ADC National Chairman Speaks to OpenLife, Gives Conditions To Lift Suspension On Its Presidential Candidate
OpenLife Nigeria reports that following the decision by the National Working Committee, NWC, of African Democratic Congress, ADC, to suspend its presidential candidate, Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, on Friday, September 2, the national chairman of the party, Okey Nwosu, has given conditions to be met before Kachikwu can be accepted back into the party as its standard bearer in the 2023 general elections.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with OpenLife Saturday afternoon, a visibly angry Nwosu described the presidential candidate as “stupid,” saying he has to meet certain conditions before he can be accepted back into the party.
In a statement suspending Dumebi Kachikwu on Friday, the party alleged that the Delta State born politician who emerged as its presidential flag bearer in the recent primary election has erred in actions and attitudes far and against the party laws through a video which went viral.
In the said video, made available to OpenLife by Okey Nwosu, Dumebi Kachikwu was heard alleging that the national chairman of the party, Okey Nwosu, has over stayed his tenure and should therefore vacate office for election of fresh national working committee members.
According to Kachikwu, the tenure of Okey Nwosu expired on August 28, 2022 after 17 years in office as national chairman.
He therefore frowned at the attempts by the Nwosu led NWC to extend its tenure by another one year, saying it is unacceptable.
He added in the video that Nwosu and his executives have a history of selling out the party to any willing buyer in every election, stressing that the attempt to repeat such sell out by Nwosu in 2023 must be resisted by all legal means.
This, according to him, would not happen in 2023 as far as he is the party’s presidential candidate.
“On August 28, the 17 years old tenure of Okey Nwosu ended, bringing to an end the tenure of the longest serving chairman in Nigeria political history,” he disclosed.
He announced further that the State chairmen of the party will announce an election timetable and called on interested members to apply for any position of their choice.
“ADC candidature are not for sale. Anyone that tests our resolve will have himself to blame,” Kachikwu said emphatically.
Reacting, the party, in a statement, said Kachikwu “Contravened the principles and values upon which ADC is founded and the specific provision of Article 16 of the ADC Constitution to wit: “Act(s) conduct or utterances likely to bring the Party into hatred, contempt or ridicule; engaging in dishonest practices, defrauding the Party, its members or officials; engaging in anti-party activities; unauthorized publicity of Party dispute or fractionalization or creating parallel Party organ(s) at any level; engaging in any other activities likely to cause disaffection among Party members or likely to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of party business; belonging to any such factional group or organ; collusion or conspiracy to convene unauthorized meetings, shall constitute acts of gross misconduct.”
Based on this allegations, the Party’s “Committee of the whole house, in a very clear and unequivocal term condemned the said video in its entirety and described it as a piece of badly crafted blackmail and mudslinging, and thereby unanimously recommended his immediate suspension from the party from today, Friday 2nd September, 2022.”
The statement of suspension added that “The NWC strongly believes that to demean the character of the founders and financiers of ADC, who have worked tirelessly to build an enviable brand that Nigerians are proud of, and which many great minds have stood elections; smacks of crass irresponsibility, gross indiscipline, disingenuous scandalization and blackmail, and completely unfit of someone who wants to be President of Nigeria.”
On whether the party would lift the suspension if Kachikwu sues for peace and apologise, Okey Nwosu said “May be.”
He however added that “That is if he shows that he is ready to run election and not to pocket the party,” the national chairman emphasized.
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