The leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Friday night, axed its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, and seven others for alleged anti-party activities.
They were expelled after two weeks of his suspension after factional members said to be loyal to the ADC national chairman, Ralph Nwosu, suspended him.
Nwosu stressed that the disciplinary committee met six times between 8 and 14 September to discuss all allegations levelled against the presidential candidate.
A statement by Chairman of the party, Mr Nwosu, said a seven-member disciplinary committee set up by the NWC of the party, found Mr Kachikwu guilty of allegations of “gross misconduct, anti-party activities and gross violations of its constitution, amongst others.”
The statement reads, “The NWC met on the 16th of September 2022 to deliberate on the report & accepted the report of the panel with modification.”
“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 Deputy National Chairman (Politics) of the party, Bamidele Ajadi, said in a statement two weeks ago.
Mr Kachikwu was sacked along with seven others, namely the Kogi State Chairman of the party, Kingsley Oggah; its state chairman for Edo, Kennedy Odion, Kabiru Hussaini, Alaka William, Bello Isiyaka, Musa Hassan and Clement Ehiator.
Trouble started for Kachikwu when he joined 27 state chairmen of the party demanding the resignation of Mr Nwosu, following his long stay as the chairman of the party.
According to party sources, he ran into trouble when he started attacking the Nwosu-led National Working Committee (NWC).
The party frowned at Kachikwu’s attitude and described it as improper for someone who wants to be the president of Nigeria.
Checks revealed that Nwosu had spent 17 years on the seat even though the party’s constitution allows maximum of eight years for the tenure of its chairmanship.
The panel found Mr Dumebi Kachikwu and others guilty of the allegation levelled against them, and in accordance with article 15 of the party’s constitution recommended that Mr Dumebi Kachikwu and others be expelled from the party.
The party leadership described the expulsion of the eight persons as a “strategic step to clean its stable and determination to move into reckoning across the country.”
