Ralphs Nwosu, the national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says the party is not bothered by the planned defection of Leke Abejide (ADC-Kogi) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The chairman said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja against the backdrop of the planned defection of Mr Abejide to the APC.

Mr Abejide said on Monday at a news conference in Abuja at the National Assembly that he would move to the APC if the crisis in the ADC persisted.

His counterpart in the ADC in the House of Representatives, Salman Idris, representing the Kabba-Bunu-Ijumu federal constituency of Kogi, also defected to the APC on July 24 at plenary.

Mr Nwosu, however, said, “On the defection or defections to APC from our party, we have been inundated with calls from party chieftains, concerned citizens, patriots, national leaders, and civil society organisations. We appreciate their concerns and commend their patriotism.

“I wish to assure them all that, as a disciplined organisation with a transformational leadership philosophy, we are taking appropriate steps to maintain the integrity of our great party, the ADC.”

He said the party had set up a committee led by Bamidele Ajadi, the deputy national chairman (politics), to look into the defections to enable us to apply the law justly.

“To deepen ADC’s grassroots penetration and engagements, the National Executive Committee of our great party resolved to participate roundly in all local council elections,” he said.

This, according to him, is based on the Supreme Court ruling on the financial autonomy of the LGAs. He said the party had set up the local council elections committee to schedule, strategise, and supervise all LG polls in all the states.

The chairman appealed to all stakeholders at the subnational level, especially governors, to ensure that all democratic processes were conducted in an atmosphere of impartiality.

“The NWC would like to make it abundantly clear that one Shola Samuel, aka GADAFI, who has been parading himself as a BoT member of our party, ADC, is not a member of the party,” he said.

He also said that he had been using the designation to call meetings in Kogi, adding that he was not a registered member of ADC, let alone a BoT member. 

(NAN)