Enugu ADC Explodes Over Alleged Plot to Hijack Party, Warns Against External Manipulation

The Enugu State Chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised a serious alarm over what it describes as a “calculated, deliberate and well-orchestrated” attempt by external interests to hijack the party, destabilise its structures, and compromise its political direction in the state 

In a strongly worded communiqué jointly and unanimously issued by all seventeen Local Government Party Chairmen, all members of the State Working Committee (SWC), and the three Senatorial Zonal Chairmen, the party said it “unequivocally condemns, firmly rejects, and completely dissociates” itself from the actions of individuals it identified as non-members and external actors seeking to unlawfully seize control of the ADC in Enugu State.

The party disclosed that it had received “credible, verified, and deeply disturbing intelligence” indicating that certain individuals who are neither registered members of the ADC nor recognised coalition partners have been illegally convening meetings in private residences while “falsely parading themselves as party leaders and arrogating powers to themselves which they do not possess and have never been granted under the ADC Constitution” 

According to the communiqué, these actions are allegedly being carried out under the influence and supervision of the coalition leadership in the state. The party further alleged that the ultimate objective of the plot is to unlawfully seize the party’s leadership and structures with the “clear and sinister intention of delivering the ADC into the hands of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a destructive agenda reminiscent of the unfortunate takeover and near-collapse of the Labour Party” 

The ADC leadership expressed grave concern over reports of illegal zoning, sharing, and allocation of party positions purportedly carried out by these external elements without the knowledge, consent, or authorisation of the party’s statutory organs. It described such actions as a “gross violation of party rules, internal democracy, and coalition principles,” stressing that they were conducted outside all recognised party frameworks.

The communiqué highlighted what it called a particularly disturbing development in Enugu East Senatorial Zone, where alleged zoning and sharing of party positions were reportedly carried out without the “knowledge, involvement, or consent of the recognised leader of the coalition and party in the zone, Distinguished Senator Gilbert Nnaji.” The party further noted that the ADC State Chairman was “completely unaware of such purported arrangements,” describing the situation as a reckless disregard for party hierarchy and constituted authority 

Invoking a popular saying, the communiqué stated pointedly that “you cannot shave a man’s head in his absence,” declaring that any decision, zoning, restructuring, or leadership arrangement undertaken outside the participation of the legitimate ADC leadership is “null, void, illegal, and of no effect whatsoever” 

The party made it clear that it would not recognise or accept any zoning or leadership arrangement initiated by non-members, any collaboration with individuals who have failed to formally resign from other political parties, or any attempt to deploy the ADC as a proxy political vehicle to advance the interests of the APC-led government in Enugu State.

Emphasising its resolve, the communiqué declared unequivocally that “the ADC in Enugu State is not for sale, will not be hijacked, and will never be compromised by individuals whose political allegiance and loyalty lie elsewhere.” It added that the party is founded on “discipline, ideology, internal democracy, collective leadership, and strict respect for due process, not on clandestine meetings, political ambush, or external manipulation” 

In view of the unfolding situation, the Enugu State Chapter formally appealed to the National Leadership of the African Democratic Congress to urgently intervene, enforce strict compliance with the party’s constitution and coalition guidelines, and take decisive steps to safeguard the integrity and duly constituted structures of the party in the state.

The party reaffirmed its unity and collective determination to build what it described as a “strong, credible, disciplined, and people-oriented opposition party” that genuinely reflects the democratic aspirations of the people of Enugu State. It pledged to remain resolute in pursuing unity, growth, stability, and electoral success for the ADC.

The communiqué was jointly signed by all Local Government Chairmen, the entire State Working Committee, and all Senatorial Zonal Chairmen of the African Democratic Congress, Enugu State Chapter, underscoring what party leaders described as an uncommon show of unity in the face of what they see as an existential threat to the party’s future