Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has drawn a clear line against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, declaring that he will not be the party’s presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
The ADC NEC dismissed reports of a possible arrangement to adopt Atiku as its presidential candidate, describing such claims as “a lie from the pit of hell.”
Don Norman Obinna, Abia State Chairman of the ADC and spokesperson for the ADC NEC Chairmen Forum, said the party’s position was firmly anchored on a recent court judgment nullifying the congresses and convention conducted by the Senator David Mark-led interim National Working Committee (NWC).
According to Obinna, the NEC remains committed to the judgment and will not abandon it to accommodate any political arrangement involving Atiku.
‘We are not a faction’
Obinna, while addressing party members and journalists, rejected the description of his group as a faction of the ADC.
He insisted that the group represents the legitimate National Executive Committee of the party, which, according to him, remains the highest decision-making organ of the ADC.
“You must have heard some section of the media push this false narrative by addressing us as a faction of the African Democratic Congress,” Obinna said.
“We are members of the ADC National Executive Committee. The NEC of the ADC is the highest decision-making organ of the ADC.
“Therefore, it is an insult for anyone to say that we are conciliatory to an individual or even describe us as a faction.”
ADC crisis: NEC rejects Atiku option
Obinna said the current crisis in the ADC began after founding chairman Ralph Nwosu allegedly handed over the party to Senator David Mark, who subsequently embarked on congresses and a convention which the NEC argued were conducted in violation of the party’s constitution.
The dispute eventually moved to court, where the NEC secured a judgment against the process.
“On the 28th of April, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Abuja Federal High Court delivered a sound judgment which nullified all the congresses and convention conducted by [the opposing] national working committee,” Obinna said.
He added that the judgment imposed a perpetual injunction against the opposing committee and was later upheld by the Court of Appeal.
Despite the court pronouncements, Obinna said reports had emerged that negotiations were allegedly underway to persuade the NEC to abandon its legal victory and accept Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
“We heard that they have given them assurance that everything is under control, that they will do everything within their means to ensure that we jettison our court judgment and adopt him as our presidential candidate going forward,” he said.
“Well, I want to say again that this is a lie from the pit of hell. We did not send anybody or group to bargain on our behalf as we speak right now.”
Obinna insisted that the court judgment had effectively invalidated the process through which the opposing leadership could produce a presidential candidate.
“It simply means that the judgment of the Federal High Court, which was upheld by this Appeal Court, will stand.
“In other words, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar is not our presidential candidate.
I don’t know the reason the media try to force this man down our throat.”‘We won’t sacrifice our judgment for Atiku’
The ADC NEC spokesperson said there would be no compromise on the court judgment in order to accommodate Atiku.
“On no account are we going to sacrifice our court judgment to massage his ego,” Obinna declared.
“If he had wanted this so badly as he wants Nigerians to believe, he had every opportunity that time to wade into the matter as an elder statesman. But he failed to do that; rather, he took sides.”
His comments effectively ruled out any immediate possibility of an agreement between the NEC and the Atiku camp over the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.
ADC warns INEC
The ADC NEC also took aim at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing the electoral body of failing to reflect the court judgment on its official portal.
Obinna said the situation was creating uncertainty and tension among ADC members and political aspirants.
“Their action is affecting the party negatively and is even creating tension, anxiety among candidates and members of the political party, and this is a shame,” he said.
He warned that the party would take its protest to INEC if the commission failed to comply with the judgment after the pending stay-of-execution issue was resolved.
“We are waiting for us to scale the stay of execution hurdle, and once that is done, we will compel INEC to do the right thing,” he said.
“And if they fail to do that, we will be forced to galvanise our members from all the states of the federation, and we are going to protest in front of INEC so that the whole world will see the damage INEC is trying to do to our democracy.”
‘Big name’ coming for 2027
Despite the crisis, Obinna said the ADC remained focused on the 2027 elections and would present a credible presidential candidate to Nigerians.
“We are going to present to Nigerians a credible candidate who will fly the flag of the ADC in the 2027 election,” he said.
He later hinted that the party could unveil a major political figure as its presidential candidate, saying “there will be a big name who will fly the ADC presidential flag come 2027 general election.”
Obinna also declared that reconciliation with the David Mark-led leadership was no longer on the table.
“The time for reconciliation has gone. You people shut the door for reconciliation yourselves,” he said.
“We will do ourselves a disservice if we jettison our court judgment to go into agreement with you.”
The ADC NEC spokesperson expressed optimism that the remaining legal hurdles affecting the party would be resolved by the first or second week of September.
