Atiku, others meddlesome interlopers, we’ll show them way out of ADC- Rep Abejide

By Richard Elesho

House of Representative member of Yagba Federal Constituency, Kogi state, Elder Leke Abejide, has ruled out the likelihood of an early and amicable settlement of the crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress, ADC, describing the characters mooting a coalition with the party as its platform ahead of the 2007 general election as ‘meddlesome interlopers.’

It would be recalled that a group of politicians across party lines led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had taken over the structure of ADC as the platform they will use in the battle against incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC in the 2027 election.

The Atiku led group had subsequently changed the leadership structure of the party at all levels, with former Senate President David Mark replacing Ralph Nwosun as the national chairman of the party.

However, Abejide, who is the highest public office holder of the ADC, in a an encounter with journalists, faulted the manner the coalition talks were carried out and flatly rejected the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as its temporary national chairman. He said the entire interim executive was unconstitutional and vowed to challenge the move in the court.

He admitted getting a hint from Nwosu on plans by some people to join the party but quickly added that he didn’t know they were coming to buy or take over its structure and push the owners away.

He decried what he described as attempt to impose an illegal leadership on the party without due consultation and at variance with the extant laws.

“There was never a meeting. What happened was like a coup. Somebody just single handedly handed over the party structure to unknown persons, and they are not known, they are aliens to the party. Anything they do is just like building something on nothing.

“As I am talking to you now I’m challenging them, in the next few days you will know that I’m not a fool and this is where I will come out and show them I’m not a fool and I know what I’m doing.

The second term legislator said he was reluctant to talk thinking the right things would be done, but that the group behind the coalition got it wrong from the start.

“I advise them to go back and register their ADA. That’s the one they can control. But if they say they want to use ADC, no way. We will meet in court. I want you and the people to know that I am not a fool that they think. I can not work with them because they have shown their true colour of who they are. These people like to dominate anywhere they go, whereas they don’t have electoral value outside. So let’s go to a contest and see who will win. Those are the things, and the mistake has been made, and it can’t be corrected. My advice to them is to go back and look for another party, not ADC.

He dismissed his purported suspension from the party by its Kogi State Working Committee, insisting his membership remains legitimate.

“Don’t mind them. They are joking. Yesterday, I saw one kangaroo meeting held by Kingsley Ogga. I was the one that put Kingsley as chairman and Adaji as secretary. He has long been removed. He was expelled. As we’re speaking, he can not go to his ward. He can’t go to his ward and try and call a ward meeting. So he’s not even the state chairman any longer. His own is secondary. The main thing is those outsiders that came. We will show them the way out. There’s no coalition. Coalition yamutu. It is dead on arrival.”

Abejide, who has never hidden his support for President Tinubu and Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo, both of the APC, is in a controversial pursuit of a third term. He was optimistic of winning the poll against an unwritten local zoning formula.