The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Saturday said it had suspended its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, for alleged anti-party activities.
The party announced Kachikwu’s suspension in a statement by its Deputy National Chairman (Politics), Bamidele Ajadi.
The statement accused the flagbearer of making “defamatory” statements in a video that contravened ADC values and other anti-party activities.
It said the decision on Kachikwu’s suspension was taken on Friday at an emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting at an undisclosed location.
The party claimed that its 2023 presidential flagbearer’s behaviour “smacks of crass irresponsibility, gross indiscipline, disingenuous scandalisation and blackmail, and completely unfit of someone who wants to be President of Nigeria.”
“The NWC viewed with great concern the baseless and defamatory video made, published and circulated by Mr Dumebi Kachikwu, which was intended to disparage and impugn the integrity and image of a peaceful and transformation-oriented African Democratic Congress and its national officers,” Mr Ajadi wrote in the statement.
According to him, Kachikwu’s speech in the said video contravened the principles and values upon which ADC is founded and the specific provision of Article 16 of the ADC Constitution to wit: “Act(s) conduct or utterances likely to bring the party into hatred, contempt or ridicule; engaging in dishonest practices, defrauding the party, its members or officials; engaging in anti-party activities; unauthorized publicity of Party dispute or fractionalization or creating parallel Party organ(s) at any level; engaging in any other activities likely to cause disaffection among Party members or likely to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of party business; belonging to any such factional group or organ; collusion or conspiracy to convene unauthorized meetings, shall constitute acts of gross misconduct.”
Ajadi added that there had been several actions, publications and utterances in the past aimed at maligning the ADC national officers, which the NWC chose to ignore, for peace to reign.
“The NWC also noted that since the 9th of June 2022 when he was elected the presidential candidate, he has failed, neglected and/or refused to share with the party, any meaningful, constructive or reasonable Presidential Campaign Roadmap for the forthcoming presidential election,” Ajadi said. Continue Reading
