Barely twelve days to the kickoff of the presidential campaign for the 2023 general elections, the crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), took a further plunge with the expulsion of its presidential candidate, Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu and seven other chieftains from the party for alleged anti-party activities.
The presidential candidate who has been on suspension since September 3 was finally expelled along with seven others by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) after reviewing the report of a 7-man disciplinary panel set up to look into the allegations of gross misconduct, antiparty activities and gross violations of the Party’s constitution amongst others leveled against him and others.
The decision of the party’s NWC was contained in a statement by the National Chairman of the party, Mr. Ralphs Okey Nwosu in Abuja yesterday.
The statement reads: “The seven-man Disciplinary Panel set up by the African Democratic Congress, ADC to look into the allegations of gross misconduct, antiparty activities and gross violations of the Party’s constitution amongst others leveled against Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu and others, sat on the 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th of September respectively and submitted its report formally to the leadership of the party on the 15th of September 2022.
“The panel found Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu and others guilty of the allegation leveled against them, subsequently in accordance with article 15 of the party’s constitution recommended that Mr.Dumebi Kachikwu and others be expelled from the party. The NWC met on the 16th of September 2022 to deliberate on the report and accepted the report of the Panel with modification. Consequently, the following individuals are hereby expelled from the Party: Dumebi Kachikwu, Kingsley Oggah, Bello Isiyaka, Kabiru Hussain, Kennedy Odion, Musa Hassan, Clement Ehiator and Alaka Godwin William.”
The party chairman further stated that, “With this development, the party has taken strategic steps to clean its stable and determined to move into reckoning across the country. NWC urged all the candidates and members to focus on the 2023 general election, while rededicating themselves to the ideals of the party.”
The NWC then commended members of the disciplinary panel for the courage and commitment shown in the quality of their work and called on all its members to remain focused and continue to be good ambassadors of ADC.
But a factional interim leadership of the ADC yesterday, dismissed the purported expulsion. The interim National Chairman of the Party, Senator Patricia Akwashiki, in a statement described the action of the erstwhile chairman, Nwosu, as the antics of a sinking man clutching at straws.
Akwashiki called on members of the party and indeed Nigerians to ignore the diversionary, divisive and destabilization activities of Nwosu who is presently lamenting over spilt milk like a whipped child.
“Nwosu is the former chairman whose tenure has elapsed who now seeks to pull the party down because he failed in his bid to extend his tenure after 17 years as party chairman. All expulsions and suspensions from Nwosu and his cabal are merely diversionary and a face saving measure as he faces investigation for fraud, forgery and impersonation by the Nigeria Police. The general public is therefore advised to ignore any statements emanating from Nwosu or any member of the former National Working Committee,’ she said.
