*Condemns Gov Okpebholo’s restriction order on Peter Obi
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has no preferred presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general election and as such will not anoint any aspirant for the party, its interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi has declared.
This is even as the ADC has strongly condemned the restriction order issued on Mr Peter Obi by the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo few days ago in Benin, the state capital.
Governor Okpebholo had expressed his anger that Mr Peter Obi visited Edo State recently without informing him, warning that he (Okpebholo) would not be able to guarantee the security of Obi if he repeats same thing again.
Fielding questions from Journalists at the weekend in Abuja, Mallam Abdullahi said, concretely, that ADC will not anoint any aspirant or candidate for the party, stressing that the party doesn’t have any favorite candidate.
He pledged that all presidential aspirants of the party will be accorded a level playing field.
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi are among those believed to be eyeing the presidential ticket of the ADC ahead of the forthcoming presidential election.
It is being claimed in some quarters that the ADC may cede its presidential ticket to Atiku at the expense of Obi and others who may show interest later.
In dismissing such claim, Mallam Abdullahi said, “I have not heard Peter Obi or Atiku Abubakar say if it’s not them, then it’s nothing. It’s their supporters or people who purport to speak for them that are saying this. Whether it’s Peter Obi or Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or any other aspirants on the platform of African Democratic Congress, understand that this is democracy and we are not going to anoint any aspirant or candidate.
“Like our chairman has emphasized, we don’t have a predetermined agenda. We don’t have any favorite candidate.
“We are going to provide a level playing ground and a transparent process for the emergence of our presidential candidate.
“I’m not aware, therefore, that any of these aspirants have directly said that it’s either them or they are no longer part of the coalition. It’s ok for supporters to continue to say what they want to say, but they don’t necessarily represent the sentiments of people that they claim to support.
“And that’s why we say that for us in ADC, we are going to maintain strict internal democracy.
“And if anybody has any preferred aspirants or candidates, what I would advise them is to get a membership card of the ADC so that they will be in a position to vote for these aspirants when the time comes to elect a candidate for the party”, he said.
Responding to the restriction order placed on Mr Peter Obi from entering Edo State by Governor Okpebholo, the interim National Publicity Secretary said, “The African Democratic Congress condemns the restriction order issued on Peter Obi.
“This is not the first time. It is becoming a pattern for APC governors to make the kind of pronouncements credited to Governor Okpebholo, declaring that Mr. Obi or opposition leaders are not welcome in their state.
“This is not democratic and it’s a very dangerous pattern.
“Nigeria is a free country, and every citizen of Nigeria has the right to go anywhere in this country.
“We don’t need a visa in our country. We don’t need anybody’s permission to go to any part of our country.
“This also speaks to an authoritarian instinct among some of these governors of the APC. And we believe that this can only get worse if it’s not nipped in the board.
“This kind of statement, sounds more like a monarchical statement rather than a democratic statement and it is dangerous for democracy.
“And we in the ADC, we are alarmed, we are worried that we have not even started big political activities. We have not started campaigns and already our governors are saying that some leaders of our parties are not welcome in their respective states.
“The states don’t belong to them. The states belong to Nigerian people. So we are concerned and want to put it on record to every Nigerian and international community to follow what is going on in Nigeria.
“Having failed to turn Nigeria into one-party states, now the strategy is to begin to intimidate and issue threats and warnings that we cannot come to their state.
“This is unacceptable. We will go anywhere in Nigeria that we want because Nigeria is a free country”, he emphatically said.
