The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Monday, inaugurated its new national secretariat in Abuja.
Notable opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, both of whom the ADC has been courting for full membership, were absent from the event.
It was also discovered that the new secretariat was formerly the building used by Atiku for his presidential campaign ahead of the last election, when he ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Speaking at the unveiling, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed speculation that the event signalled any shift in opposition realignment.
“Atiku used to be the tenant of this building, which he used for his presidential campaign. But his tenancy has lapsed. The African Democratic Congress is now the tenant of this building. This is not an indication of anything. It has nothing to do with our movement. This is solely an ADC decision,” he said.
He added that the party remained committed to fairness and internal cohesion ahead of its February congresses.
“The ADC leadership, under the chairman, David Mark, has made it clear that the party will be fair to everyone concerned. At the root of what you call the crises in other parties is injustice and lack of fairness.
“We are glad that we have kept disagreements and conflicts within our party relatively low. So, it’s not going to be business as usual. We believe that as long as we continue to uphold the principles that brought us together in the coalition, even when problems arise, we can deal with them.
“For instance, the chairman promised all the legacy chairmen across the country that nobody would be sidelined. And you can see that we have kept our word because they are still there. So, if an issue comes up, we’ll deal with it,” he said.
Abdullahi also addressed questions over the status of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and Peter Obi within the coalition.
“You are aware that former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and His Excellency Peter Obi were given until the end of the Anambra election to make a decision. Now that the election is done, we expect that everybody will come back together fully.”
The PUNCH
