₦airaland Forum

fergie001:
I don't look at INEC, look at the law.
They said PDP NEC will not hold, did the NEC not hold?

Look at the law.

I know where they will come from.... And there is a legal precedence to that as well.

slivertongue:
Two different situation I think. Nwosu I meant is the recognized faction. But the coalition took some wrong steps which make me think ADC is a decoy to their plans. Tinubu can't stop them from contesting, he is too small to hold them down

yarimo:
Hahahahaha loser hijackers, no wonder they are yet to resign from their party .

Bentacur007:
Kachikwu just wanted to cash out
Him just Dey waste his precious time

The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, has announced a three-pronged strategy to challenge what he called a “hostile takeover” of the party’s leadership by a rival faction.

He noted that despite being subjected to threats and online harassment by unnamed individuals and social media trolls following his stance on the party’s latest internal crisis, he remains undeterred.

Kachikwu also disclosed that he had rejected overtures from members of the opposition coalition against President Bola Tinubu as far back as last year.

According to him, the talks collapsed when the coalition promoters rejected presenting a southern candidate as the coalition’s standard bearer, an arrangement he believes is necessary to complete the South’s turn in the power rotation currently occupied by President Tinubu.

He added that even if the coalition eventually agrees to present a southern candidate and formally approaches the ADC, the party would still conduct a primary election.

This, he stressed, would ensure that all interested party members have a fair opportunity to contest for the ticket alongside the coalition’s preferred aspirant.

Dumebi spoke at a media parley in Abuja on Thursday, flanked by seven state chairmen from Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Akwa Ibom, Borno, and Jigawa States, as well as the party’s national spokesman, all of whom he said were arbitrarily removed from their positions through a social media announcement by the rival group.

“These so-called common Nigerians have safeguarded this party for years. Yesterday (Wednesday), they were simply chased out of their offices online. That is not what they signed up for,” he regretted.

Dumebi said his camp will formally petition the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), explore legal redress through the courts, and rally the support of grassroots party members across Nigeria to resist the undemocratic hijack.

“All options are on the table. INEC as the regulator, the courts as the last hope of the common man, and the Nigerian people as witnesses,” he said.

According to Kachikwu, the first step is to demand that INEC clarify who currently occupies the position of party chairman.

If a leadership vacuum is confirmed, he said, the ADC State caucus, composed of elected chairmen, will immediately convene a national convention to elect new officers and restore order to the embattled party.

“We’re asking INEC: Is there a chairman in this party, or is there a vacuum? If there is, then we need to convene a convention immediately to elect new leadership. That’s our pathway to resolving this crisis,” he said.

Kachikwu emphasized that the chairmen in his camp were elected at the party’s April 2022 convention, with valid mandates running until April 2026.

“They were not appointed on WhatsApp or Facebook. They were elected by the people,” he pointed out.

Speaking further on whether his faction would go to court, Kachikwu confirmed that legal action is under serious consideration.

“Yes, the option of court is absolutely on the table. We are exploring all avenues, and we will not rest until this injustice is reversed.”

He faulted INEC for previously tolerating parallel structures within the party under former interim chairman Ralph O. Nwosu, accusing the electoral body of enabling confusion.

“For three years, INEC allowed Nwosu to appoint parallel chairmen. We’re now asking the same INEC to clarify who leads ADC. This time, they must act,” he said.


Kachikwu faulted the abrupt announcement of a new interim chairman by the rival faction, who allegedly received his ADC membership card during the very event where he was named leader.

“In a democratic society, how does it make sense that someone is made interim chairman and given his party card at the same event? That’s not a merger. That’s a hijack,” he stressed.

The former presidential candidate said he had previously engaged with coalition advocates, including former Ministers and senior political figures, but ended all talks when it became clear the arrangement was designed to return Atiku Abubakar to power.

“I asked a simple question, do you agree that since Tinubu is in his first term, the South should produce the flag bearer in 2027? Their immediate response was, ‘We are taking our power back.’ That was a red flag”.

He rejected any arrangement that discounts southern participation in future leadership, calling it a return to recycled leadership and ethnic-based politics.

“Imagine my situation, someone who came fifth in the last presidential race and I’m told that because I’m from the South, I should foreclose my ambition. That was an absolute no-no,” he added.
Issuing a direct challenge, Kachikwu said, “Let them declare publicly that the next flag bearer will come from the South. If they do, I’ll welcome them through the front door.

“But we all know they won’t, because this is a coalition designed for Atiku, and that’s a betrayal of balance and equity.”

Kachikwu also lamented the rise of what he called “toxic social media politics,” which he said is foreign to the ADC’s values.

“APC, PDP, Labour Party, these are parties where all they do is insult and threaten each other online. That’s not who we are. We are decent people.”

Since rejecting the faction’s legitimacy, Kachikwu said he has been targeted with threats, online abuse, and even preemptive media attacks.


He referenced an article reportedly in the works by Peoples Gazette, alleging unresolved U.S. tax issues

“For those who believe I can be bullied, you are the vocal minority. Politics in Nigeria must move away from threats and blackmail. You cannot cow people on social media.

“If you believe that threats or blackmail will move me, you’re making a big mistake. Maybe Kachikwu is the last person anyone can cow.”

He also criticized the media for failing to properly label the opposing camp as a faction, warning that misleading headlines can distort the political narrative.

“When I became our candidate in 2023, the media focused only on four names, Atiku, Tinubu, Obi, and Kwankwaso. You told Nigerians the rest of us didn’t matter. The media can make or mar a nation,” he said.

He, however, insisted that despite the turmoil, he remained confident in the resilience of his camp, which includes several elected chairmen who helped take the ADC to fifth place in the 2023 general elections.

“Our party is worth fighting for. We won’t give up, no matter the threats, no matter the pockets behind them. We’re ready for the long haul.”

In a landmark move aimed at reviving the socio-economic fortunes of the Lake Chad region, Wednesday, Borno state governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, flagged off the dredging of the Lake Chad waterways at the Baga Fish Dam in Baga town.

The exercise is a collaborative effort between the state government and the Nigerian Navy, with the backing of the Government of the Lake Chad Province and other regional partners.

It is designed to restore the region’s historic economic relevance after years of insecurity and environmental decline.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Governor Umar Usman Kadafur, who represented Zulum, described the initiative as a major milestone in the efforts to rejuvenate the region’s economy and enhance security after over a decade of insurgency.

He underscored Lake Chad’s historical importance in sustaining millions of people through fishing, agriculture, trade, and transportation.

He noted that natural challenges such as silting and declining water levels have severely hindered economic activities and exacerbated poverty and vulnerability in the region.


Governor Zulum expressed profound appreciation to the Nigerian Navy for its strategic intervention and foresight, describing their role as critical not only to regional security but to economic recovery.

“This operation will bring multiple benefits including enhanced navigation and trade, revitalisation of fishing activities, increased agricultural productivity, improved security, and the restoration of livelihoods,” he said.

Also addressing the gathering, the Force Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Major General Godwin Michael Mutkut, lauded the commitment of both the Borno state government and the leadership of the Lac province for their sustained efforts against insurgency and for championing initiatives that promote regional revitalisation.


During an earlier visit to the Navy Base at Lake Chad (NBLC), Baga, at Kukawa local government area, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, had requested the Borno State government to fast-track the clearance of the waterways in the Nigerian section of the lake to enable troops access the terrorists enclaves in the Islands (tumbus) across the lake.

“We also want the roads leading to the lake to be rehabilitated to enable troops access all the terrorists-infested islands for easy and successful combat,” he requested from Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum in Maiduguri.

The CNS added that , President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Military authority is fully committed to the welfare of troops, noting that all that is required is being accorded the desired attention.

The CNS who visited Baga alongside the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar advised the troops to eschew any form of inter – agency rivalry, pointing out that the collective objective should focus on taking out the enemy of the state, Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.

“ The Battalion here and the Navy Base must work as twin brothers of fighting against this hydra- headed threat of insurgency,” he said.

The Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, has stated that 11 kilometers on Section 1 of the Abuja-Kaduna highway has been laid with concrete.

The minister, who made the disclosure during an inspection visit to the road at the weekend, said the reconstruction done by Infiouest International Limited proved the government made the right decision to revoke it from Julius Berger.

“In section I, which is 38 kilometres plus section II, which is 40 by 2, 80 kilometres, we have completed over 11 kilometres with reinforced concrete pavement. You need to see this road before now. We are pulverising. We are putting a stone base, about 80-inch stone base.

“We are putting cement to mix it and compact it. We are putting in Y-20 reinforcement. We have it in bridges and then 20-cm intervals, and then we are putting a 16-millimetre reinforced concrete with wires, and then we are completing 200-millimetre reinforced concrete grade 40. So, we have completed 11 kilometers.”

In a statement by his media aide, Orji Uchenna Orji, the minister said the progress and quality of work done by the contractor had vindicated the ministry’s decision to revoke the contract from Julius Berger Nigeria Ltd due to cost differences.

He praised the commitment of President of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in ensuring speedy and quality delivery of the project.

“Let me say that I am very grateful to Mr President for the support in the reconstruction of this project. When we terminated this project because of the cost differences between the Ministry of Works and Julius Berger, it became a very big challenging task for me. But without the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, it would have been very difficult to redeem my integrity.

“Today, I can say that my integrity and that of the Ministry of Works have been redeemed by the quality of work that Infiouest is doing.

He also declared an emergency on the state of the dualization of Suleja-Minna road, saying the president was concerned by the deplorable state of the road and directed that urgent action should be taken to fix it and restore the confidence of road users.

He maintained that the contractor, Messrs Salini Nigeria Ltd was responsible for the failure in the delivery of the project on time and in specification, adding that the termination of the job due to non-performance is irrevocable.

yyba:
Hahahahaha I am yet to see any relevant politician in this coalition oo 🤣🤣🤣

Believeintruth:
Are the chief not supposed to be apolitical? Why are they being punished for attending another party event. This APC and politics of hatred.

redics:
Good he cleared the air that he did not travel to Lucia for medical treatment as claimed be Sahara Reporters

bigtt76:
Money for more airports (airstrips), stadiums, sponsorship for hajj, mass Islamic weddings, wheelbarrows, distribution of modern kasankes, shoe shining boxes, uniforms for agberos, flyovers, 1000 special assistants & assistants to special assistants and other frivolous spendings 🤣

Non of the states would think of ways to build more low-cost housings or collaborate with neighbouring states to develop their rail transport system or improve health are or power supply or potable water 😌

God help us 🙏🏾

zero8zero:
He can't be viewing my threads while I can't view his. The block button is a cheat, it is supposed to be a two way thing, you block me, I can block you too. Seun must address this ASAP.

Mabuggi88:
Suffering and smiling dude .

Seventeen more characters for your head to reset for the betterment of your children unborn