The party said it strongly rejected attempts by “external elements” and non-members to hijack and destabilise the party’s structures and leadership in the state.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Enugu State has disowned a former governor, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and others over a purported zoning arrangement favouring the re-election of Governor Peter Mba of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party said it strongly rejected attempts by “external elements” and non-members to hijack and destabilise the party’s structures and leadership in the state.
In the statement jointly endorsed by all 17 local government party chairmen, members of the State Working Committee (SWC), and the three senatorial zonal chairmen, the party said it had unanimously resolved to condemn and dissociate itself from alleged efforts to compromise the ADC’s political direction.
The party accused individuals, whom it said are neither registered members of the ADC nor recognised coalition partners, of plotting to unlawfully take over the party and hand it over to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State.
Meanwhile, some ADC stakeholders in a statement on Monday said former governor Nwodo and his collaborators could not be called leaders of ADC, until they resign officially from their various parties to join the ADC.
Nwodo, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji and 2023 Labour Party (LP) deputy governorship candidate, John Nwokeabia, had reportedly participated in the meeting at Nwodo's Enugu residence, where the endorsement was made.
Reacting to the development, the concerned ADC members from the three senatorial zones of Enugu State, distanced themselves from the endorsement.
The press release was signed by Idoko Festus for Enugu North senatorial district, Emeka Okoh (Enugu West) and Chief Ogbodo Nwagu (Enugu East).
Stating their position, the ADC members challenged Nwodo to come out clean "rather than working for APC in Enugu and ADC in Abuja."
They aligned themselves with the position of an Nsukka socio-cultural organisation, Bridge Consortium, which warned that such a deceptive strategy of playing both sides, if allowed, could weaken the ADC from its base.
The press release read in part: “Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Professor Barth Nnaji and John Nwokeabia cannot be called leaders of ADC in Enugu State until they resign from their parties. For now, they have not done so.
"Others who joined ADC resigned from their former parties. Comrade A. C Ude and Lolo Queen Nwankwo, the pioneer Deputy Chairman of APC and Women Leader respectively, resigned from APC. Others who resigned from APC include the 2023 Enugu East senatorial candidate, Princess Ada Ogbu, the pioneer Youth Leader, Ikechukwu Oloto, former governorship aspirant, Ocho Obodoeze and former House of Assembly candidate, McDonald Okwor. Senator Gilbert Nnaji resigned from PDP.
"So, until Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and his collaborators resign from their parties, they are not members of ADC.
“Nwodo is supporting Mba and pretending to be part of ADC. What else is double standard? As concerned members of ADC in Enugu State, we totally disagree with the zoning arrangement put forward by Nwodo and his collaborators.
“Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo should come out clean and say where he belongs. If he is ADC, he should be ADC in full. He should not be both in APC and ADC. We are aware that his son is still in the government of APC. His wife is in the APC government also. He cannot be part of APC and deciding for ADC where to zone offices.
"Hence, we disagree with any zoning arrangement that he is concocting to favour the government in power in Enugu State.”
The concerned ADC members stated unequivocally that they would wait for the two national officers from the state, Kenneth Okonkwo, a member of National Working Committee (NWC), and Fidel Ayogu, to issue a directive on the zoning arrangement.