ADC Will Not Hand Over Party To Atiku, Obi, Amaechi-Lukman

By Tom Okpe

A member of the coalition that metamorphosed into the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Mallam Salihu Lukman, has revealed that the party structure will not be handed over to any member of the party contesting Presidential ticket in the 2027 general election.

Prominent among those aspiring for the Presidential ticket of ADC include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governor Peter Obi and former Governor Rotimi Ameachi of Anambra and Rivers States, respectively.

Speaking while appearing on AIT popular programme, Jigsaw, on Tuesday in Abuja, Lukman said there is plan to build the structures of the party in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate, conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win office and assume positions.

According to him, the Coalition didn’t go into this arrangement with our eyes closed to politicians, desperate to have a political party, we took our time. We didn’t negotiate with just one individual, we negotiated with the whole leadership.

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He said: “What we are telling everybody in the coalition is that the structures of the party will not be handed over to aspiring candidates.

“We have to build the structures of the party in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win office and assume positions.”

On how the Coalition cleared all legal crisis before unveiling, Mallam Lukman said: “I can tell you that we opened negotiation with a wide range of parties.

“We went through processes including conducting legal due diligence on the status of both the leadership and if there are any pending litigation in the process, we were able to check with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and get all the substantive issues.

“I can tell you, some of the issues being raised in the public about some of the litigation, are issues which, even by INEC record, if you go there, you will find that they have been resolved long ago.

“At a point, we even had to sit down with all the members, in fact, more than once, members of the National Woking Committee, NWC, of the party.

“I want to make it clear thàt, if you check with INEC, you will find that Dumebi Kachukuhu, who came out to make noise, by the record, of INEC, based on the certified true copies of proceedings of the organs and fourteen others have been expelled from the party. So, we didn’t go into this blindly.

“We were very clear that we were on save ground. We are not supplanting leadership of ADC. We have accepted to work with them as partners, they are stakeholders. And I’m sure in not too distant time, the interim leadership of the party led by Senator David Mark and Aregbesola will release possible guideline to guide the position at the state, and how the whole reorganization of the structures of the party will proceed.

“So Far, we can say we have succeeded, which is why we are able to have the unity you have seen. I think that suspension of expression of ambition has to continue. I can see some leaders have already, become hyper-reactive.

“The coalition and 2027 is not all about producing candidates who will end up producing another disappointment, which is basically about producing unaccountable leaders and, if care is not taken, also producing another
set of emperors as elected representative who will not listen to the party just the same way we have situation where leaders of APC today don’t don’t even respect the party,” he stressed.

Mallam Lukman further revealed that there is no difference from ADA and ADC, adding that both the ADC and ADA was the decision of the Coalition.

“A special committee was set up by the coalition, and it’s based on the determination that we are not going to leave anything unturned to ensure that by 2027, we present an option to Nigerians. We are not going to allow a situation where the country is set up for a one-party state.

“We won’t allow a situation where the country is set up for a one-party state, so, we will spread our tentacles and ensure that we go ahead and mandate the committee to put up the application.

“All we can say is that whatever happens, Nigerians will have an option.
Our right as Nigerians as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria to participate in election will be exercised beyond the confines of the APC,” he added.