State Chairmen of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, have described the suspension of its presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, as null and void.
The ADC had on Friday, suspended Kachikwu, accusing him of making a false, misguided and defamatory video, among other infractions.
But reacting, Kachikwu, says he remains the candidate of the party for the 2023 election despite his purported suspension by the former National Working Committee of the party headed by Ralph Nwosu.
Also addressing newsmen in Abuja, Chairman, ADC State Charimen Forum, Kingsley Ogga, said the tenure of the National Working Committee, NWC, had since expired on the 28th of August 2022, hence, ‘the illegality of the NWC to suspend Kachikwu.
Ogga explained that the National Executive Council, NEC, would on Monday have a meeting with INEC to inaugurate a caretaker committee that would host another convention to extend the tenure of the NWC and the ADC Chairman, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu or elect a completely new leadership.
“The NEC doesn’t have the power to extend the tenure or remove the NWC, it can only be done through a national convention. They have no right to currently take the action they are taking”
“In the history of Nigeria, we have never seen a political party that suspends its presidential candidate, it’s a mystery. They don’t have that legal right to suspend him. The suspension is null and void,” he said.
In a letter addressed to the INEC Chairman, dated 29th August 2022 and signed by the Chairman, ADC Chairmen Forum, Kingsley Ogga and Secretary ADC Charimen Forum, Kenneth Odion, the State Chairmen said: “The undersigned African Democratic Congress, ADC, State Chairmen are by this medium bringing to your notice that the above named officers of the ADC convened a fake NEC meeting on the 26th August, 2022″.
“The fake NEC meeting lacks the constitutional requirement for adequate notice for NEC meeting as provided by article 23 A & B of the constitution of the African Democratic Congress, 2018 (as amended) for the mandatory requirement for giving seven days notice for a national executive committee (NEC) meeting”.
“The said meeting was overcrowded with unknown persons and miscreants. All the state chairmen walked out of the meeting as unknown persons and none NEC members in large numbers were seated at the meeting venue.”
The letter entitled: ‘Illegal and Fake NEC Meeting, Gross Violation of ADC Constitution and the Electoral Act by ADC National Chairman, National Secretary and the NWC,’ read in part: “The purpose of this illegal act is best known to the National Chairman, the National Secretary and other members of the NWC. The said purpose was revealed when the fake meeting purportedly extended the tenure of the NWC.
Article 24 A of the constitution of the African Democratic Congress, 2018 (as amended) provides that the National Working Committee (NWC) can only be voted in through a national convention and it is only through a national convention that their tenure can also be extended.
Ogga stressed that the only body that has such power to vote in or extend the tenure of the NWC is via a national convention and urged INEC to disregard such illegalities and prevail on ADC to convene a convention for the purpose of electing a new National Working Committee.”
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, Kachikwu stated that neither Nwosu nor the defunct National Working Committee chaired by him has the power to suspend him having elapsed on August 28, 2022.
The ADC presidential candidate, who was flanked by the state chairman of Kogi, Mr. Temitope Ogga and his Edo State counterpart, Mr. Kennedy Odion, described his claimed suspension by an illegal NWC as a joke since he had not done anything to warrant suspension having won the election to fly the party’s ticket as its flagbearer.
He however explained that he was not surprised by the illegal attempt by the Nwosu-led group to suspend him as he sought his support to remain in office for another term, but he declined on the grounds that he had been chairman for more than 17 years and should give way in line with the constitution of the party and Nigeria.
