Just In: ADC Suspends Presidential Candidate, Kachikwu

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has suspended its presidential candidate for next year’s elections, Dumebi Kachikwu, who is the Founder of Roots Television, Nigeria.

Kachikwu emerged as the presidential candidate of ADC in June after securing 978 votes party delegates to beat his closest rivals, Kingsley Moghalu and Chukwuka Monye, who polled 589 and 339 votes, respectively.
Read Also:Just In: Hijacker Threatening To Crash Plane Into Supermarket In US
Following the presidential primary election of the ADC, Kachikwu had picked and unveiled Mr Ahmed Buhari as his running mate for the 2023 elections. The suspension was announced by the party on Saturday.

In a statement by the Deputy National Chairman (Politics) of the party, Dr. Bamidele Ajadi, Kachikwu was suspended after an emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the ADC held on Friday, September 2.

ADC accused the suspended presidential candidate of making, publishing and circulating a video described as defamatory, and which the party said was intended to disparage and impugn the integrity and image of a peaceful and transformation-oriented African Democratic Congress and its national officers.

The party noted that Kachikwu’s speech in the said video contravened the principles and values upon which ADC was founded and the specific provision of Article 16 of the ADC Constitution.

Quoting the party’s constitution, Ajadi said: “Act(s) conduct or utterances likely to bring the party into hatred, contempt or ridicule; engaging in dishonest practices, defrauding the party, its members or officials; engaging in anti-party activities; unauthorized publicity of Party dispute or fractionalization or creating parallel Party organ(s) at any level; engaging in any other activities likely to cause disaffection among Party members or likely to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of party business; belonging to any such factional group or organ; collusion or conspiracy to convene unauthorized meetings, shall constitute acts of gross misconduct.”

Ajadi noted that the NWC strongly believes that to demean the character of the founders and financiers of ADC, who have worked tirelessly to build an enviable brand that Nigerians are proud of and which many great minds have stood elections under, smacks of gross indiscipline.

The party noted that there have been several actions, publications and utterances in the past aimed at maligning the ADC national officers, which the NWC chose to ignore, for peace to reign.

The party added: “The NWC also noted that since the 9th of June 2022 when he was elected the presidential candidate, he has failed, neglected and/or refused to share with the party, any meaningful, constructive or reasonable Presidential Campaign Roadmap for the forthcoming presidential election.

“His negative actions and/or inactions so far, have put in jeopardy the fate and prospects of all our candidates contesting for various offices across the country. The committee of the whole house, in a very clear and unequivocal term, condemned the said video in its entirety and described it as a piece of badly crafted blackmail and mudslinging, and thereby unanimously recommended his immediate suspension from the party from today, Friday 2nd September 2022.

“This resolution would be forwarded to the National Executive Council for further actions.”

Source: New Telegraph