2023: Shock as ADC suspends presidential candidate, Kachikwu

Dumebi Kachikwu, the presidential standard bearer of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been suspended from the party after an emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held on Friday.

This is according to a statement issued by Dr. Bamidele Ajadi, the Deputy National Chairman (Politics) of the party, on Saturday, accusing Kachikwu of fake and defamatory video he allegedly posted online.

Ajadi stated that it considered Kachikwu’s action as “smacking of crass irresponsibility, gross indiscipline, disingenuous scandalization, blackmail and completely unfit of someone who wants to be President of Nigeria.”

Part of the statement reads: “The NWC viewed with great concern the baseless and defamatory video made, published and circulated by Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, which was intended to disparage and impugn the integrity and image of a peaceful and transformation-oriented African Democratic Congress and its national officers.”

The party claimed that Kachikwu’s speech in the said video contravened the principles and values upon which ADC was established and the specific provision of Article 16 of the ADC Constitution.

While citing the said constitution, Ajadi stated: “Act(s) conduct or utterances likely to bring the party into hatred, contempt or ridicule; engaging in dishonest practices, defrauding the party, its members or officials; engaging in anti-party activities; unauthorized publicity of Party dispute or fractionalization or creating parallel Party organ(s) at any level; engaging in any other activities likely to cause disaffection among Party members or likely to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of party business; belonging to any such factional group or organ; collusion or conspiracy to convene unauthorized meetings, shall constitute acts of gross misconduct.”

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He added that the NWC had a belief that to demean the character of the founders and financiers of ADC, who have worked relentlessly to build an enviable brand that Nigerians are proud of and which many great minds have stood elections under, deserves a strict discipline as correction.

The party added: “The NWC also noted that since the 9th of June 2022 when he was elected the presidential candidate, he has failed, neglected and/or refused to share with the party, any meaningful, constructive or reasonable Presidential Campaign Roadmap for the forthcoming presidential election.

“His negative actions and/or inactions so far, have put in jeopardy the fate and prospects of all our candidates contesting for various offices across the country. The committee of the whole house, in a very clear and unequivocal term, condemned the said video in its entirety and described it as a piece of badly crafted blackmail and mudslinging, and thereby unanimously recommended his immediate suspension from the party from today, Friday 2nd September 2022.

“This resolution would be forwarded to the National Executive Council for further actions.”

By Mohammed Taoheed…

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