A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu, has said the party will proceed with its planned congresses and national convention despite the ongoing leadership crisis and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) stance on the matter.
Nwosu made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, insisting that the party remains focused on its preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We are taking the necessary action both in court and with INEC, but we will not allow INEC to derail any of our programmes. After that malicious INEC release, our chairman and the rest of us sat together and decided to move ahead,” he said.
The ADC has been embroiled in a leadership dispute involving factions, a development that prompted INEC to withdraw recognition of certain party leaders pending the resolution of a court case.
Despite this, Nwosu maintained that the party had complied with legal requirements regarding its internal processes.
“We submitted our programme to INEC according to the law, and they endorsed it — all the dates were endorsed. By the electoral law, whether they show up or not is their own volition; we have not violated anything,” he stated.
He added that the party’s congresses were already underway and that the national convention would proceed as scheduled.
“The congresses have already started. Our national convention, slated for the 14th, will also go on, where we will validate everything we’ve done. We don’t want opportunists in the ADC; we want mission-driven leaders who have the courage to challenge a bad system,” Nwosu said.
According to him, the party would continue to notify INEC of its activities, including plans to select candidates for the next election cycle.
“If they don’t accept it, we will publish it to all Nigerian media because they represent the people,” he added.