The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, has declared the recent takeover of the party by a coalition of political heavyweights as illegal, hostile, and dead on arrival.
At a press briefing in Abuja, Kachikwu dismissed the development as a “dramedy” and berated the coalition leaders for partnering with a faction he insists no longer holds constitutional authority within the party.
“The tenure of the Nwosu-led executive lapsed on August 21, 2022. His parade as chairman is the subject of ongoing court cases nationwide,” Kachikwu said.
The outspoken media mogul questioned the legitimacy of the group’s actions, likening it to “shaving a man’s head in his absence” and branding the alliance as one orchestrated by relics of Nigeria’s political past.
“These yesterday’s men have bought a bad market from a man who represents a bad chapter in ADC’s history,” he said.
Kachikwu didn’t hold back, describing the coalition as a “group of mostly geriatrics” motivated not by reform but by a desperate desire to remain politically relevant.
“They’re not rescuing Nigeria; they’re recycling failure. Nigerians are tired of your generation. You stand rejected,” he thundered.
He accused the group—which includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-governors, and senior political figures—of being part of the old guard responsible for Nigeria’s long-standing underdevelopment.
“They claim they want to rescue Nigeria, but what have they achieved in four decades other than deepen our tribal and religious divides?”
In a televised interview later that day, Kachikwu went further, criticizing the demographic profile of the coalition:
“Seventy percent of Nigerians are under 30. Yet those who want to ‘save’ Nigeria are over 75. What language do they even speak to today’s youth?”
The former presidential hopeful said the group’s secretive entry into ADC lacked grassroots support and proper procedure.
“Nwosu’s tenure expired. State party leaders weren’t informed. Now, secretaries, women, and youth leaders are protesting,” he revealed.
According to Kachikwu, attempts to hand over the ADC to ex-Senate President David Mark and former Governor Rauf Aregbesola—both recent entrants—violated the party’s constitution.
“Our rules require at least three years of membership before holding party office,” he said.
Responding to insinuations that he had lost touch with the party’s affairs, Kachikwu said he previously engaged the coalition leadership directly, posing two blunt questions: Would they support a southern leader? And were they only interested in reclaiming power?
“They told me: ‘We want to take our power back.’ That insulted every southerner.”
Kachikwu warned that the coalition’s failure to follow due process would force ADC loyalists to escalate the matter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“If they truly want to join us, they should come through the front door. We’re a party of decency, not desperation.”
He called for a new political era driven by inclusion, meritocracy, and generational renewal.
