By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, has strongly criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark, and other political figures who recently aligned with the party.
Kachikwu accused them of attempting to hijack the leadership of the ADC through what he described as a “backdoor” arrangement.
In a blistering statement, Kachikwu dismissed the alliance as a group of “geriatrics” merely looking for a new platform to continue their self-serving ambitions. He questioned the credibility of their so-called “rescue mission,” asking how politicians who have dominated Nigeria’s leadership for over four decades—with little to show for it—can now claim to offer solutions.
He accused former ADC chairman Ralph Nwosu of facilitating the move, despite his tenure having expired on August 21, 2022. Kachikwu said Nwosu’s continued claim to leadership had been challenged in multiple court cases, making any alliance brokered under him questionable.
“We are a nation lacking in the basics, and those who set our country on fire now claim to be the fire brigade,” Kachikwu said. He called for a new Nigeria built on meritocracy, inclusiveness, and equal opportunity, while rejecting tribal and religious politics.
Reaffirming the ADC’s values, Kachikwu insisted that anyone seeking to join the party must do so through proper channels. “We are a party of decent and well-behaved people,” he said. “Our brand of opposition not only opposes, it proposes.”
