The collapse of all structures of the African Democratic Congress as announced by the former chairman, Ralph Nwosu, to enable a new leadership to drive a coalition of forces ahead of the 2027 general election is not sitting well with some state chairmen of the party.

A coalition powered by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar announced the adoption of ADC as the platform aimed at thwarting the second term bid of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

It subsequently named former Senate President, David Mark and ex-Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as the Interim National Chairman and National Secretary respectively while Bolaji Abdullahi, an ex-Minister of Sports, was named the interim National Publicity Secretary.

Nwosu further issued a statement announcing the resignation of all party leadership positions to enable the David Mark-led interim executive take charge of the affairs of the ADC.

The development elicited sharp criticisms from Dumebi Kachikwu, the ADC 2023 presidential candidate who described Atiku and his co-ADC converts as “a bunch of greedy old men.”

In an interview with The PUNCH, ADC chieftain in Benue State, Elias Adikwu, lamented the manner the new leadership of the party emerged as unacceptable.

He said, “We are not part of it and we will not take it. They cannot come to a party they did not register to join and take it over from those who built it. If they are so much in love with the leadership of the party, there is a procedure: get all stakeholders involved so that everyone will make their position known.”

Adikwu faulted the collapse of state structures of the party for the new leadership, noting that the Mark-led exco is embarking on a registration exercise that leaves more questions than answers.

“Why are they asking people to come and register? What happened to the party register at the ward and local government levels? They called themselves interim executives, but the ADC Constitution has no provision for an interim arrangement. We are prepared to meet with them because as it is now, we (State Party Chairmen) are the only National Executive Committee members of the party.”

Also Speaking, the ADC chairman in Akwa Ibom State, Etimbuk Umoh, said they were waiting for directive from his its national leader on the next step to take.

“Our leader, Dumebi Kachikwu is yet to set an action plan for that (what to do next). We are waiting for him,” he said.

His Borno counterpart, Mohammed Khala, did not reveal much when he spoke in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on the development.

“We are keeping our plans close to our chest,” he said.

On his part, the National Publicity Secretary ADC Continental Youth Council, Musa Matara, said party members were not against the use of the platform to bring about good governance in the country in 2027.

He expressed joy over the choice of the ADC by tested politicians to attempt a change of government in the next general election, adding, however, that there was no broad-based consultation before the emergence of a new leadership last week.

Matara lamented that leaders like him were not allowed to have a say before Nwosu left his stool for David Mark.

“We are happy that these people joined us. ADC is free for all Nigerians, and here, we don’t have affiliations to regions, tribes or religion. It is a party for all Nigerians regardless of status.

“What we are saying is that we were not involved in their talks. For them to come and take over the party there has to be a process. You cannot just come and say you are going for coalition, and anybody who is not ready for that should go their own way. That is not fair.

“In every organisation, whether public or private, there must be procedures, and these procedures or processes are either regulated by a constitution or some guidelines. ADC has over 10 million members across the country. We were shocked to hear our National Chairman saying that all party structures have collapsed. What made them collapse?

“The most painful thing is that I heard ADC’s adoption as a coalition vehicle from the mouths of my friends, some of whom are in other political parties. My party could not even communicate to me what they were doing. If Nigeria is to change genuinely, we need to change our attitude and our mindset.”

Matara questioned the pro-Nigeria credentials of the new ADC chieftains, saying, “If you want to bring in new leaders, why bring people who have been members of the ruling class before we were born? We invested our time, energy and resources to build this party and you bring in these people to take it over from us?”

He also faulted the make-up of the new leadership of the party, adding, “The interim chairman is from the PDP, the secretary is from the APC. The publicity secretary is from the PDP. Where is ADC, the mother who has worked tirelessly more than the others?

“Another issue is that the majority of ADC members are youths. You are now bringing back recycled men who have been around for decades. This is against the constitution of the party. What changes are they talking about?”

Coalition targets triumph

Meanwhile, the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mabel Oboh, on Sunday said the new coalition would wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Oboh, who stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said the coalition would reshape the nation’s polity from 2027.

“The people who make up the coalition are those with proven political records that have the wherewithal to harness votes for the party in the 2027 election in this country,” she said.

Also, a former Minister of Transportation, Senator Idris Umar, led a delegation of political stakeholders from Gombe State to visit former Vice President Atiku at his Abuja residence.

Umar, a member of ADC in Gombe, was Minister of Transportation from 2011 to 2015.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Umar said, “We are here to once again affirm the support of our people for Your Excellency, especially as you lead the charge for a united political front under the ADC coalition.

“Your contributions to the development of Gombe remain indelible, and our people continue to hold you in high esteem.”

The Gombe delegation included former governorship aspirant, Air Vice Marshal Fura (retd.); former Deputy Governor of the state, John Yoriyo; Chairman, Association of House of Representatives Aspirants in the state, Danjuma Babba, among others.

In his remarks, Atiku stated, “I am further inspired by the Gombe stakeholders’ pledge of total support and loyalty to the decision of the coalition by joining the ADC. I vow to stand against the stealing of elections and oppose bad governance.’’

As part of efforts to gain grounds, the ADC commenced the establishment of its grassroots mobilisation structure in Sokoto State, marking a significant step in its mission to deepen civic engagement and drive inclusive political participation across Nigeria.

As part of the initiative, the party appointed Mainasara Umar as the state coordinator to lead the activities of the coalition network in Sokoto. The appointment was formally announced through a letter signed by the national coordinator of the coalition, Mohammed Shuaibu, and made available to journalists in Sokoto on Sunday.

“This appointment, which takes immediate effect, is part of our broader plan to establish a grassroots platform that will inform and educate citizens on the real objectives of our coalition. We are not endorsing any particular candidate; our focus is solely on promoting the ADC’s vision for a credible, transparent, and people-centered leadership,” Shuaibu said in the letter.

In his acceptance speech, Umar said, “This is not just about forming another political group. It’s about building a coalition of conscience — one that is committed to doing the right thing for Nigeria. At the heart of ADC’s mission is inclusive leadership—leadership that corrects past wrongs and charts a new course for a better Nigeria,” Umar added.

Obi reacts

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Sunday said as President, he would rather be Minister of Security to protect lives and property instead of the regular portfolio Minister of Petroleum that the President usually handled.

The former Anambra State Governor, while responding to questions, said, “I will not be Minister of Petroleum, if there is minister I want to be, it is that of security to ensure protection of lives and property. I will account for our natural resources, I will ensure people benefit from the resources. I will do whatever is necessary to secure the country.”

On his disposition to the coalition, Obi added, “I will work with all Nigerians. As a Christian, the Jesus I worship said he didn’t come only for the righteous but also for those not doing good.”

On curtailing corruption, Obi said, “If the leader’s family and the leader are not corrupt, you will reduce corruption by 60 per cent.”

Chairmen back coalition

The ADC chairman in Edo State, Kennedy Odion, says the coalition has come to stay despite some state chairmen expressing reservations.

He said, “The coalition has come to stay and leaders have been appointed across the state though we have not had our formal meeting with the leaders to know the template for harmonization, which has also not been given by the national leaders.

“For me, it is a welcome development and a new dawn for our party, a new face for Nigeria and we embrace it with all sense of responsibility because Nigeria was almost boxed to a corner of becoming a one party state. But with this new trend, Nigerians are now happy and ADC has become the bride of the nation.”

The Benue State chapter of the party also dissociated itself from the claim by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, that state party chairmen were against the new leadership.

The party state chairman, Celestine Orbunde, noted that the former presidential candidate was expelled from the party and could not have been privy to issues concerning taking over of the party by the coalition.

“So, if the North Central Zonal chairman, who is from Benue State, is aware of the new order, why will Benue chapter not be involved.

“Benue State chapter of ADC is fully in support of the new leaders; the problem is that everyone wants to be carried along, whereas Dumebi, the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, was expelled from the party.

In dramatic fashion, the Delta State chapter of the ADC said Kachikwu was out to jeopardise the efforts of party members.

The state chairman of the party, Austin Okolie, stated this on Sunday in an interview with The PUNCH in Asaba.

He said, “On which capacity is Dumebi speaking? Dumebi is not a NEC member, he’s not a state officer of the party neither is he a national executive of the party.

“He only ran election as a candidate and that election is over, even when he couldn’t visit Delta State, his local government or ward where he comes from.

“He’s interest is just to jeopardise the party. He has not contributed anything to Delta State ADC and we don’t know him as our member in Delta.

“Maybe he’s working for some certain interests, which we know of, and his efforts will be in vein. I’m the Delta State chairman of ADC and Dumebi is from Delta State, yet we don’t know him as an ADC member in the state

“He was only interested in the ADC presidential ticket and immediately he got it, he went home and relaxed. Now, because he heard that the coalition is successful, he is coming out to truncate the effort. The section of the constitution he’s talking about has been amended.”

Bolaji charges chairmen

Meanwhile, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Abdullahi Bolaji, has absolved the leadership of the party of any blame.

This is just as he advised aggrieved former state chairmen to approach Ralph Nwosu for further clarification.

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, Abdullahi said, “There were NEC meetings of ADC ratified by INEC that authorised the NWC to take actions/decisions on the party’s behalf to ensure the coalition comes to fruition. So, the process was perfectly legitimate in all ramifications.

“However, if any state chairman requires further clarification, they may approach the immediate past leadership of the party accordingly and I am sure they will be happy to attend to their concerns.”