A Chairmanship aspirant for Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Michael Udoh has accused Peter Obi and Senator Ireti Kingibe of betraying the image of the renewd national opposition movement on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) by working to trincate internal democracy at the last primary of the FCT AMAC ADC Chairmanship candidate.
According to Hon. Odoh, who claimed to have fulfilled all requirements of the law and party guidelines, the leadership of the ADC in the FCT seems to have ceded grounds to the overbearing influence of the Former Labour Party Presidential Candidate and the Senator representing FCT at the senator, who was the first senator to defect to the ADC.
He said if the ADC in the FCT and the nation at large allows this obsolete culture and paradigm to continue and reign free it will subvert the ultimate and grassroot aspirantions of the party.
Odoh said, “Let me tell you my story. I went through all the processes in this party faithfully. I prepared myself to face my fellow aspirants at the primaries. I was ready for a fair contest. But to my greatest shock, I was denied the opportunity to contest.
“And the reason? I was told that the aspirant being imposed on us was sent by Mr. Peter Obi and Senator Ireti Kingibe, and that the party leadership did not want to make them angry. Imagine that! Instead of allowing a free and fair contest, they said we must step aside for “the chosen one.”
“It didn’t stop there. Some in the party went further to say they did not want the FCT Minister to hijack the process. And because I once issued a public statement commending the Minister for his work, they accused me of divided loyalty. But let me ask you today: what hijack can be greater, what betrayal can be worse, than the hijack of democracy itself?
“At first, I told myself — no, this cannot be true. I refused to believe that Mr. Peter Obi or Senator Ireti could descend to such an undemocratic level. But all my doubts ended on the 22nd of August at Chelsea Hotel, when I saw them there with my own eyes,”
“What happened in that hotel was nothing short of a scandal. Candidates who had already won their primaries were forced to step down. Some were told they were not “loyal.” Others were told they did not have “capacity.” The same way they imposed a chairmanship candidate on AMAC, they also imposed councillorship candidates. So, who then decides? The people, or a few individuals in a hotel room?,”
Speaking further, Odoh said as a man of law and process he was heading to the court to seek redress by judicial means as the party’s hierarchy have been compromised.
“And here is the bitter truth: the party not only betrayed us morally, it also broke the law. The party had deposited its own guidelines with INEC — guidelines that clearly stated all candidates must emerge through primaries. But they abandoned those guidelines. They trampled upon them,”
“The Electoral Act, 2022 is very clear. Section 84 says every political party must hold primaries monitored by INEC. And it also says that where a party fails to do so, such a candidate should not even appear on the ballot. So, what happened in AMAC is not only illegitimate — it is illegal”,
“We have written to the party through my legal team. Till now, there has been no reply. Complete silence. And so, we have resolved: we are taking this matter to court. We will go to court armed with the party’s own guidelines and with the Electoral Act itself. Because on this matter, the truth is on our side, and the law is on our side.,”
“To my supporters, I say: please remain calm. I know you are angry. I know you are disappointed. But this struggle is not about violence — it is about justice. We are not fighting individuals; we are fighting impunity. And in the end, democracy will win, Odoh added.