ADC Vows to Address Genuine Grievances, Rejects Ulterior Motives to Destabilise Party

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared that while it remains open to addressing the concerns of members with legitimate grievances, it will not yield to individuals it described as having “ulterior motives” to destabilise the party.

The Interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, made this known on Saturday in Abuja while briefing journalists on recent developments within the opposition party.

Abdullahi alleged that certain political actors were working behind the scenes to create chaos in the party, employing tactics similar to those used to destabilise other opposition platforms such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

“We have people, even within leadership ranks, who voluntarily resigned their positions. Some have also expressed grievances against the party,” Abdullahi said.

He explained that the ADC had already taken steps to address legitimate issues raised by members, but warned that the party would not indulge individuals whose conduct suggested deliberate sabotage.

“When people act belligerently, with clear ulterior motives to destabilise the party, we cannot continue appeasing such individuals,” he stated.

The party spokesman insisted that the ADC remained united and not factionalised, adding that its new leadership emerged from the 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which was duly observed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Abdullahi also dismissed reports of a court order restraining the current leadership from functioning, describing such claims as false and misleading.

“The court only rejected the prayer and requested our appearance on 15 September. INEC has already recognised our leadership.

Those spreading misinformation are agents of destabilisation bent on undermining our new coalition,” he clarified.

According to him, the ADC leadership is focused on strengthening the party’s structures and not distracted by false narratives.

“We’ve taken our decisions, moved on, and are focused on building our party. With INEC’s recognition, we have crossed a major hurdle,” Abdullahi said.

He further noted that with the recognition, party leaders such as former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola could now legitimately sign and issue membership cards.

The spokesman also responded to criticisms from the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dr Dumebi Kachikwu, who had dismissed the new leadership as “an assemblage of retired politicians.”

Abdullahi countered that Kachikwu was no longer a member of the ADC and therefore had no authority to comment on its internal affairs.

On the outcome of the party’s recent by-election performance, Abdullahi urged observers not to use the result as a benchmark, noting that it came too soon after leadership restructuring.

“For us, the by-election outcome is not a true measure of our strength. The ruling party will be shocked in future contests,” he said.

Turning to governance, Abdullahi advised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to present honest statistics on appointments, projects, and programmes across the country.

Responding to a question on whether four years was enough to judge the government’s performance, he argued that direction mattered more than time.

“The real issue is not the timeframe but the direction of governance. Some elected leaders have delivered sterling performances even within their first term in office,” he said.