The coalition was formed to create a united opposition front against the ruling party ahead of future elections, particularly in 2027.
Former African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Ondo State, Barrister Myson Nejo, has accused a faction led by Prof. Bode Ayorinde of attempting to take control of the party’s structures.
In a statement, Nejo said the crisis arose after coalition members, mainly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), joined the ADC with what he described as a plan to dominate the party rather than collaborate with its existing leadership.
The coalition was formed to create a united opposition front against the ruling party ahead of future elections, particularly in 2027.
Nejo said the PDP elements within the coalition pursued their own agenda, sidelining the state’s authentic ADC leadership and its structures.
He added that the exclusion of the original party leadership was visible from the beginning.
“Early signs of exclusion were evident. Despite the coalition’s formation, the authentic ADC leadership and structures in the state were deliberately sidelined,” he said.
He added that no invitations were extended for key planning sessions or meetings.
“Ayorinde reportedly assembled his own exclusive ‘kitchen cabinet,’ bypassing the party’s original stakeholders entirely,” Nejo said.
Nejo described a coalition meeting at Deja Vu Hotels in Ondo State as a key point in the crisis.
“Participants from various tendencies within the coalition, including representatives of the indigenous ADC, were instructed to bring only 10 delegates each,” he said.
He said a large contingent from the PDP-aligned group attended without other participants knowing.
“Unbeknownst to them, Ayorinde had mobilised a large contingent from his PDP-aligned group to pack the venue,” Nejo said.
During the meeting, he said Ayorinde declared himself State Coordinator without consulting other stakeholders.
“In a stunning move, he unilaterally declared himself the State Coordinator of the ADC and announced that the sitting state chairman would be relegated to secretary,” Nejo said.
Nejo said the announcement sparked resistance from the original ADC members.
“The members of the ADC aborigine present at the event challenged what they saw as a blatant power grab, describing it as an attempt to run the party like a ‘one-man business.’ The gathering ended in chaos,” he said.
He stressed that the national leadership never approved the appointment.
“The ‘coordinator’ designation appears to have originated as part of a broader strategy widely attributed to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to secure and dominate party structures,” Nejo said.
Nejo also accused the faction of supporting individual ambitions over the party.
“It has become evident that Ayorinde’s group is providing support for Tofowomo’s senatorial ambition in Ondo South,” he said.
He warned that imposing loyalists on local governments caused divisions.
“This has sown unnecessary division, crisis, and confusion within the party,” Nejo said.
Nejo urged Ayorinde to formally join the party before any stakeholder meetings.
“Proceed to your ward, openly declare your support for the ADC, and formally join the party like every other committed member,” he said.
He said a stakeholders’ meeting would follow to ensure dialogue.
“I will then convene a stakeholders’ meeting through the state chairman, where all parties can sit at a round table and collectively chart a progressive, united, and democratic path forward for the party,” Nejo said.
He concluded by reaffirming the authority of the existing ADC leadership in the state.
“We will not tolerate or accept the party being run as a one-man show. The ADC in Ondo State belongs to all genuine members, and its growth must be democratic, inclusive, and people-centred,” Nejo said.