September 03, (THEWILL) – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has suspended its presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Dumebi Kachikwu.
The party in a statement, issued on Saturday, by its deputy national chairman, Bamidele Ajadi, said Kachikwu’s suspension was part of the outcome of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting held on Friday.
The party accused Kachikwu of failing to come up with a strategy for its presidential campaign activities. He was also accused of making a video to disparage the party.
“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.
“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.
“His negative actions and/or inactions so far, have put in jeopardy the fate and prospects of all our candidates contesting for various offices across the country.
“The committee of the whole house, in a very clear and unequivocal term condemned the said video in its entirety and described it as a piece of badly crafted blackmail and mudslinging, and thereby, unanimously recommended his immediate suspension from the party from today, Friday 2nd September, 2022.
“This resolution would be forwarded to the NEC for further actions”, the statement added.
However, THEWILL gathered that the suspension may not be unconnected to a fallout of ongoing power play between Ralph Nwosu, the national chairman of ADC and Kachikwu, for the control of the party.
His suspension came a day after he supported calls for resignation of Nwosu as chairman by the state chairpersons of ADC.
THEWILL reports that Kingsley Ogga, the party’s chairman in Kogi, had told journalists in Abuja on Friday, that for 17 years, Nwosu has been the national chairman of the party.
“We don’t want this party to crumble. They rated us as the third force. But today, the way they are handling this party, they are trying to kill it. Go to Kogi state and ask for ADC. We have a sitting house of reps member. We have been doing well in our federal constituency”, Ogga said.
Kachikwu in a statement on Friday, had declared support for Nwosu’s resignation as national chairman of the party.
“Yes. I am aligned with the position of the state chairmen in insisting that the constitution must be respected”, he said.
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