ADC insists coalition on solid legal ground, “This didn’t just happen overnight”
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“We’re not aware of any encumbrance. There’s no encumbrance as far as I know.
“Yes, some individuals have said they are going to court or have gone to court. But like I repeatedly said, it’s possible that they don’t have the correct information.
“For us in the ADC, we are confident that we are on solid legal grounds in everything that we have done.
“This didn’t just happen overnight; it took a very long time because we knew the kind of challenges that we are faced with.
“And we know that once we leave any legal loophole, the ruling party will not hesitate to take advantage of it to destabilise our party the way they’ve done to other opposition parties” – ADC spokesperson Abdullahi.
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All steps taken to form a coalition and to adopt the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the party to unseat Bola Tinubu from the Villa in 2027 are fully legal and comprehensive such that his All Progressives Congress (APC) cannot play pranks to destabilise the plan, the coalition has reassured its supporters.
Interim ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi gave the assurance in Abuja and also stressed that the foundation of the ADC itself was built on a strong legal framework.
Since the ADC was launched as the coalition party on July 1, concerns have been raised by many over potential internal conflicts, especially in managing the presidential ambitions of Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi, among others.
Abdullahi zeroed in on the concerns and reiterated that the ADC will not endorse any anointed aspirant, saying the party has no hidden agenda or preferred candidate, and will ensure a level playing field and a transparent process for the selection of its flagbearer.
His words: “I have not heard Peter Obi or Atiku Abubakar say if it’s not them, then it’s nothing. It’s their supporters or people who purport to speak for them that are saying this.
“Whether it’s Peter Obi or Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or any other aspirants on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, understand that this is democracy, and we are not going to anoint any aspirant or candidate.
“Like our Chairman [David Mark] has emphasised, we don’t have a predetermined agenda. We don’t have any favourite candidates. We are going to provide a level playing ground and a transparent process for the emergence of our presidential candidate.
“I’m not aware, therefore, that any of these aspirants has directly said that it’s either them or they are no longer part of the coalition.
“It’s OK for supporters to continue to say what they want to say, but they don’t necessarily represent the sentiments of people that they claim to support. And that’s why we say that for us in ADC, we are going to maintain strict internal democracy.
“And if anybody has any preferred aspirants or candidates, what I would advise them is to get a membership card of the ADC so that they will be in a position to vote for these aspirants when the time comes to elect a candidate for the party.”
When asked about legal challenges to the ADC since its adoption by the coalition, Abdullahi stressed that the party carefully took legal precautions to prevent the ruling APC from exploiting any loopholes to destabilise the party.
“We’re not aware of any encumbrance. There’s no encumbrance as far as I know.
“Yes, some individuals have said they are going to court or have gone to court. But like I repeatedly said, it’s possible that they don’t have the correct information.
“For us in the ADC, we are confident that we are on solid legal grounds in everything that we have done.
“This didn’t just happen overnight; it took a very long time because we knew the kind of challenges that we are faced with.
“And we know that once we leave any legal loophole, the ruling party will not hesitate to take advantage of it to destabilise our party the way they’ve done to other opposition parties.”
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