A chieftain and National Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Leke Abejide, has strongly rejected any form of coalition involving the party, declaring that he remains the undisputed national leader of the ADC.
Abejide, who represents Yagba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in response to reports of a purported coalition and his alleged suspension by a faction of the ADC in Kogi State.
He dismissed the suspension announced by the State Working Committee led by Mr. Kingsley Ogga, describing it as invalid and lacking legal standing. According to Abejide, Ogga ceased to be a member of the party following his expulsion in 2022 and therefore has no authority to act as chairman or convene any meeting in the name of the ADC.
The two-term federal lawmaker accused Ogga and his allies of disregarding the party’s constitution and engaging in what he termed a “kangaroo meeting” in Lokoja at the residence of Senator Tunde Ogbeha, who he said is wrongly parading himself as the new leader of the party in the state.
Abejide noted that the ADC constitution clearly stipulates that no individual is eligible to hold a leadership position without at least two years of party membership unless granted a waiver by the National Executive Committee (NEC)—a process which, he maintained, has not occurred.
Expressing dismay over recent developments, he alleged that Chief Ralph Nwosu, the party’s National Chairman, was being undermined by what he described as “meddlesome interlopers” attempting to hijack the party structure.
There is no coalition because it cannot stand. I have the locus to challenge all of their actions in court because they are not recognized by the party’s structure,” Abejide said. “ADC will not be available for such a coalition. They should go and register their new party—ADA.”
He described the alleged coalition and leadership takeover as “dead on arrival” and advised former Senate President David Mark, reportedly involved in the coalition plans, to look for a different political strategy, as ADC would not be part of any unapproved alliance.
Abejide also revealed that he had initiated legal action to challenge the legitimacy of the new leadership. According to him, if Chief Nwosu truly intends to resign as chairman, the party’s constitution clearly outlines that the Deputy National Chairman (South) should step in as acting chairman until a proper NEC meeting is convened.
Decrying the lack of internal democracy, Abejide insisted that, as the highest-ranking elected officer of the party and a statutory member of the NEC, he was neither consulted nor informed of any decision or meeting regarding leadership change.
He announced plans to convene a press conference in the coming days to address the matter publicly and reaffirm the need for the party to abide by its constitution in all decisions.
“The mistake has been made, and it cannot be corrected. We will show them the way out,” Abejide concluded.
