ADC coalition: Why Dumebi Kachikwu should not be taken seriously

By Chekwube Nzomiwu

Just a few days after the unveiling of the coalition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the attention of the Nigerian media has substantially shifted away from the crises rocking the two leading opposition parties in the country, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).

The crises, which kept both parties in court, led to a wave of defections of lawmakers and governors elected on their platforms to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

Even lawmakers in smaller parties, such as the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) joined the defection bandwagon.

The protagonists of the coalition have been showered with accolades by veteran politicians, such as former governorship candidate in Anambra State, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo and Engineer Buba Galadimma.

Hailing the immediate past National Chairman of the ADC, Chief Ralph Nwosu as “the man of the moment,” Okonkwo said he recreated the achievements of great Anambra political icons, such as Owelle Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dr. Alex Ekwueme.

In 1944, it could be recalled, Azikiwe founded a nationalist party, the National Council of Nigeria and Camerouns (NCNC), later National Council of Nigerian Citizens, while the G-34 led by Dr. Alex Ekwueme constituted the nucleus of the PDP at formation in 1998.

On his part, Galadima described the coalition as an “iron gate” against dictatorship.

Recall that during the unveiling of the coalition, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, both Ralph Nwosu and Alhaji Saeed Abdullahi, formally stepped down from their positions as the National Chairman and Secretary, respectively.

Consequently, the party affirmed a former Senate President, David Mark, as the interim Chairman, while former Minister of Interior and two-time Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, emerged as the interim National Secretary.

They are to pilot the affairs of ADC until the party holds a national convention to elect a substantive executive for the party, which is expected to give the ruling party a run for their money in the next general election.

But in a swift reaction, the ADC presidential candidate during the 2023 general election, Dumebi Kachikwu, criticized members of the coalition, labelling them “enemies of Nigeria who have held offices in the past without moving the country forward.”

2023 ADC presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu

Kachikwu who made numerous media outings since the unveiling of the coalition, accused former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and other political heavyweights of entering the party through the backdoor, to hijack the presidential ticket of the party.

Among other claims, Kachikwu alleged that they were plotting to adopt Atiku from the north as the presidential candidate of the coalition in 2027, and challenged them to be courageous to announce that they are fielding a southern candidate.

He called on INEC to come out and name the chairman of the party, as according to him, Nwosu was suspended in August 2022. Some of Kachikwu’s utterances have been regurgitated by presidential spokesmen.

Based on the foregoing, I wish to make a few comments on the coalition and how it would affects democracy in the country. In my opinion, it is a milestone in the development of multi-party democracy in Nigeria.

Following the issues raised by Kachikwu about the party leadership, I consulted the website of INEC before commencing this article, and found the names of Ralph Nwosu and Saeed Baba Abdullahi as the National Chairman and Secretary of the ADC respectively.

Three other executive members were listed. On this basis, I found the claim by Kachikwu that Nwosu is not the chairman of the party incomprehensible.

On the contrary, information in public domain indicated that Kachikwu was the person suspended by the party in September 2022.

Secondly, I do not think that it is lawful to bar anybody from joining a political party in a democracy, just for the fact that the person in the subjective opinion of Kachikwu, “held an office in the past, without moving the country forward.”

The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) guarantees all citizens freedom of association. A political party is not a secret cult. After his recent endorsement by the APC for a second term, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he cannot stop people from entering the ruling party.

I was therefore amazed to see the presidential spokesmen, who should know better, regurgitating the utterances of Dumebi Kachikwu in the media.

Some of the new entrants in APC are holding elective offices. Some held offices in the past and are even being investigated by the anti-corruption agencies, but nobody barred them from joining the ruling party.

So, why should somebody be barred from the coalition, simply because the person held a political office in the past?

Also, I vehemently disagree with Kachikwu that the new entrants came in through the backdoor. The same executive that admitted him in 2022 and offered him the presidential ticket, admitted these people.

That executive is still intact today, judging by the information on the website of the electoral commission.

Kachikwu alleged that the coalition was plotting to foist Atiku Abubakar, a northern candidate on the party in 2027. This has been debunked by Nwosu.

The former National Chairman said the party in not prohibiting anybody from vying for the ADC presidential candidate, based on the coalition agreement.

This is not hearsay. That a father of nine children felt the party did not consult him does not amount to the exclusion of Nigerian youth.

In my view, the coalition undeniably offers Nigerians respite, having expanded the frontiers for the opposition to operate in our democracy. Highlighting the importance of opposition, Professor Raphael Cohen-Almagor, an Israeli/British political theorist, said:

“A stable democracy needs a strong government but no less importantly also a strong opposition. Without the latter, the road to corruption is wide open.”

Therefore, the ADC coalition could not have come at a better time than now that it appears that democracy is in recession in Nigeria.

Besides giving the people of Nigeria a viable alternative to the ruling APC in the 2027 general elections, the new ADC coalition has substantially doused fears of the country sliding from a multi-party democracy to a one-party state, where a single political party holds power.

Under a one-party state, there is limited or no opposition. Power is concentrated in the ruling party. Even when other parties exist, they are highly restricted. No form of dissent is tolerated by the ruling party while political participation is limited.

In most cases, one leader holds significant power and influence within the party and the state. Often, a one party state leads to authoritarianism. Nigeria appeared to be heading towards this direction until the coalition berthed.

I, therefore, commend Chief Nwosu for not only having the courage and resolve to galvanise the stumbling opposition into a formidable coalition, but exhibiting uncommon self-sacrifice by relinquishing the National Chairmanship of a party he founded two decades ago, to reinvigorate democracy in Nigeria.

By giving up his position for the sake of the country, he has demonstrated a deep level of altruism, which is widely considered a profound measure of selflessness.

Nwosu deserves praise for successfully nurturing the party to the point that it became an attraction for political heavyweights.

In more than a decade, Nigeria has not witnessed such a convergence of political gladiators liked the one seen on July 2, 2025, at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre during the unveiling of the coalition. The venue of the launch of the coalition was filled to capacity.

Had Nwosu not opened the doors of the party to Kachikwu the same way, the latter would not be parading himself as the 2023 presidential candidate of the party today.

Be that as it may, that candidacy ended with the 2023 election. It did not give him the power to interfere in the daily affairs of the party. Running the party is the duty of the party executive.

From information in public domain, the journey to the coalition started 18 months ago. The National Executive Committee (NEC) of ADC met 12 times, where critical decisions were taken to that effect.

Anybody trying to destroy the coalition does not mean well for Nigeria.

Chekwube Nzomiwu, Awka, Anambra State.

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