The internal crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) took a dramatic turn on Friday when four state chairmen of the party openly accused the current national leadership of forging their signatures. The revelation came during a heated discussion on Channels Television’s flagship political programme Politics Today, anchored by Seun Okinbaloye.
Appearing alongside 2027 presidential hopeful Dumebi Kachikwu, the ADC chairmen from Benue State: Celestine Orbunda, Borno State: Mohammed Bolori, Adamawa State: Yohanna Shehu K, Akwa Ibom State alleged that the signatures of several state executives had been fraudulently appended to party documents by the national leadership.
“What we are witnessing is forgery, plain and simple,” one of the chairmen said.
“Our signatures were never on those documents. The constitution is clear: membership and decisions must be rooted in the grassroots, but what we see here is manipulation from the top.”
The chairmen distanced themselves from the faction led by the embattled National Chairman, Ralphs Okey Nwosu, whose tenure, they claimed, had already expired. They alleged that despite a judgment by Justice Binta Nyako declaring Nwosu’s chairmanship over, he refused to vacate office.
Recounting the genesis of the dispute, the Nasarawa State Chairman explained:
“In 2022, after our presidential primaries, we expected a convention to usher in new leadership. That never happened. When we questioned him, he suspended 19 of us on the spot. Since then, the crisis has deepened.”
The chairmen also alleged that the party leader ignored repeated warnings that failing to change the leadership could jeopardise the party’s electoral fortunes in court challenges.
Dumebi Kachikwu, who is running on the ADC platform for the 2027 elections, backed the call for transparency and accountability within the party, warning that the integrity of internal processes was crucial to winning public trust.