The forum of chairmen of the 36 states chapters of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has distanced themselves from the suspension of the party presidential candidate Mr Dumebi Kachikwu.
The chairmen led by Hon. Kingsley Temitope Ogga at a press conference in Abuja described the National executive council (NEC) meeting of the party purportedly convened on the 26th of August this year where the purported decision to suspend Kachikwu as fake, illegal and in breach of the party constitution.
“The said fake NEC meeting lacks the constitutional requirement for adequate notice for NEC meeting as provided by article 23 A & B of the constitution of the African Democratic Congress, 2018 (as amended) for the mandatory requirement for giving seven days notice for a national executive committee (NEC) meeting,” the chairmen noted.
“The said meeting was overcrowded with unknown persons and miscreants. All the state chairmen walked out of the meeting as unknown persons and no INEC members in large numbers were seated at the meeting venue.
“The purpose of this illegal act is best known to the National Chairman, the National Secretary and other members of the NWC. The said purpose was revealed when the fake meeting purportedly extended the tenure of the NWC.
Article 24 A of the constitution of the African Democratic Congress, 2018 (as amended) provides that the National Working Committee (NWC) can only be voted into through a national convention and it is only through a national convention can their tenure be also extended. This is also provided in Article 2, Article 17 (2) M, N, O, P, and also Article 23 A & B of the constitution of the African Democratic Congress, 2018 (as amended).
“Now, the question is; does the ADC constitution allow NEC or did the ADC constitution provide that NEC have such powers to extend the tenure of the NWC? The answer is NO. The only body that has such power to vote in or extend the tenure of the NWC is via a national convention.
“It is important to state here that what transpired on the 26” of August 2022 at the ADC secretariat is fake, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.
Flanked by Hon. Odion Kennedy Osas, he thereby urged the independent national electoral commission (INEC) to disregard such illegalities and prevail on ADC to convene a convention for the purpose of electing a new National Working Committee.