ADC Has Been Hijacked, Gombe 2023 Candidates Allege

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

The 2023 candidates in Gombe State under the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have accused the ‘new entrants’ of the party of hijacking the  structure and sidelining old members “who built the party.”

Addressing journalists at a press conference Weekend, the candidates under the aegis of ‘ADC 2023 State Assembly Candidates Forum’ led by its chairman, Muhammad Saleh Katam and secretary, Ibrahim Salisu Adams, claimed that they took the ADC into communities when it had little structure, limited visibility and minimal recognition saying it was unfair for the new entrants who defected into it from bigger political parties to undermine their contributions and sideline them.

They insisted that they invested immensely in the party when it was not big and should be carried along in the scheme of things.

“We walked through polling units, engaged traditional and religious leaders, strengthened ward structures, invested our personal resources and defended the party at a time when it was often seen as politically insignificant.

”Today, the narrative has changed. The ADC has emerged as one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing opposition parties and has been adopted as an alternative coalition platform by patriotic Nigerians seeking solutions to insecurity, economic hardship, rising cost of living, corruption and the continued marginalisation of young people.

“We welcome this growth wholeheartedly. We welcome new entrants, coalition partners, youth groups, persons with disabilities, women groups and all Nigerians who sincerely desire to contribute to building a party capable of delivering good governance, unity and national development.

‎”However, growth must be guided by order, fairness and respect for process. Let it be stated clearly and without ambiguity that the African Democratic Congress is not, and must never become a platform for personal business, political opportunism, internal domination or constitutional violations.

“We are deeply concerned by recent developments in which some individuals who only recently joined the party are attempting to undermine the contributions of the 2023 candidates, hijack party structures, create internal division and act in violation of the party’s constitution. Those who met the party rising must respect those who lifted it from the ground”, the forum posited.

‎The forum stressed that the 2023 candidates remain “the legitimate grassroots strength and historical builders of the ADC in Gombe State”, adding that any attempt to sideline or silence them is a move to weaken the foundation upon which the party’s current growth stands.

“While we remain open to collaboration, teamwork and collective bargaining, we will not accept exclusion, imposition or actions that threaten party unity.

‎”We consider it necessary to call the attention of the national and state leadership of the ADC to the urgent need for inclusion, transparency, accountability and strict adherence to the party constitution in the planning and conduct of the upcoming party congresses,” they stated.