- Party Alleges Pressure By Wike To Halt New Convention Venue Use
As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the leadership dispute rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) today, the crisis deepened further as a faction in Adamawa State announced the suspension of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and leading presidential aspirant and ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, accusing them of causing disunity.
The Chairman of the ADC faction in the state, Raji Sulaiman Zumo, announced the suspension on Monday.
Speaking in a video of the press conference posted by Nigerian Affairs Journal, the factional chairman accused the affected individuals of fostering disunity and disregarding a subsisting court order.
Hear him; “Let it be clearly stated, no individual, regardless of his status or influence, is above the law or the constitution of the African Democratic Congress, as long as he is a card-carrying member of the party.
“Gentlemen of the press, African Democratic Congress is built on discipline, justice, and the supremacy of law.
“In view of the foregoing and after executive consultation, the leadership of the ADC in Adamawa State hereby announces the immediate suspension of the following individuals from the party.
“One, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa; Engineer David Baba Lawal, Vice Chairman, North East; Barrister Sadiq Ibrahim Dasin, Transition Committee Chairman.
“Those individuals are suspended for their roles in fostering disunity, creating parallel structures, undermining lawful authority, and disregarding a subsisting court order.
Meanwhile, the party has raised alarm over alleged attempts by authorities to stop its planned national convention scheduled for tomorrow at the Rainbow Event Centre in Abuja.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Spokesperson claimed that after all fees had been paid and preparations completed, the venue owner informed the ADC that he was under pressure from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. According to Abdullahi, the owner was warned that his licence would be revoked if he allowed the party to proceed with its event.
Despite the reported threats, Abdullahi insisted that the ADC had already signed a contract with the venue and would go ahead with the convention as planned. He described the development as “creeping tyranny” and vowed that the party would not bow to intimidation.
“The ADC is rising, Nigeria is rising,” Abdullahi declared, reaffirming the party’s determination to hold its convention at the Rainbow Event Centre.
