By Nathaniel Zaccheaus Abuja
The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr Dumebi Kachikwu, has blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for allegedly colluding with the party’s leadership to prolong the crisis threatening the party’s future.
He stated this when he appeared on Arise Television on Thursday.
Kachikwu condemned what he described as “a dangerous coalition of strange bedfellows” working to hijack the party’s structure.
He specifically criticised INEC for its alleged failure to act decisively during a period of deepening internal discord.
According to Kachikwu, the crisis within the ADC began after the expiration of the tenure of its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, on August 21, 2022.
He said, “From that point forward, the party has remained in limbo.”
He recalled that court rulings had directed the conduct of a special convention to resolve the leadership tussle but lamented INEC’s apparent inaction.
He said, “INEC refused to play the role of umpire or regulator. They just watched while the party sank deeper into crisis.”
Kachikwu further alleged that the leadership of the proposed political coalition’s efforts to partner with the ADC stalled due to their insistence on working with Nwosu, whom he accused of repeatedly compromising the party.
He said, “When they reached out to me, I told them clearly: if you’re talking to Ralph Nwosu, it’s a non-starter. That man has sold this party multiple times.”
He also criticised the coalition’s rejection of zoning and the principle of power rotation.
Kachikwu said, “I asked if they supported the South producing the next President, and they categorically said no. That wasn’t very kind. It ended the discussion for me.”
In a scathing rebuke, he described some of the coalition’s members as part of the same political class responsible for Nigeria’s socio-economic woes.
He said, “The people who burnt our house cannot claim to be the fire brigade. They created the poverty, the bad roads, the healthcare mess—and now they want to tell us they’re the solution?” he asked.
Clarifying his stance on President Bola Tinubu, Kachikwu said, “I have never endorsed President Tinubu.”
“What I’ve said is that there is only one President at a time, and patriotism demands that we support our democratic institutions to prevent a collapse of the state. That is very different from blind loyalty.”
He reiterated his refusal to align with any political movement lacking a clear ideological foundation.
He said, “I cannot be part of a coalition driven solely by hatred for Tinubu or blind ambition. That is not why I got into politics. My allegiance is to the Nigerian people.”
Asked whether he would pursue legal redress again, Kachikwu was unequivocal: “Yes. I will go to court again.”
