The leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has directed its coalition partners who are still maintaining membership of their various parties to quit and join the ADC as bona fide members.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, is one of the key coalition partners who are yet to quit their present parties. Obi, who did not attend the meeting, was said to have sent his apologies and also “gave his commitment.”
Some members of the National Assembly and high profile politicians in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are among those speculated to have indicated interest in defecting to the ADC.
This was part of the far reaching decisions taken at a meeting of the party’s National Caucus on Thursday in Abuja.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, who conveyed the party’s decisions to reporters, said the “quit notice” to the coalition partners was a final one. He, however, did not give a specific timeline for compliance.
The meeting, which was presided over by the ADC National Chairman, David Mark, also resolved to sever links with the All Democratic Alliance (ADC).
The ADC leaders had initially worked towards getting ADA registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a political party, with the hope of adopting it as a platform to prosecute the 2027 election.
Although INEC had recently given the green light for ADA’s registration as a political party, the group of politicians decided to settle for ADC way back in July.
“The Coalition has rested everything concerning the ADA. That means, they are not interested in the registration or otherwise of the Association,” Abdullahi said.
Reports from the meeting also said all the party’s presidential aspirants reiterated their earlier commitment to support whoever eventually wins the ADC presidential ticket.
The party leaders said the National Working Committee (NWC) will announce dates for the nomination of candidates for the off cycle governorship election in Osun and Ekiti states.
Those that attended the meeting were Mark, who was said to have stood in for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and the ADC National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai; former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; and Abdullahi.
