Rasaq AbdulKareem/
The African Democratic Congress has reaffirmed its full support of the decision of the Coalition of United Political Parties to endorse the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as its joint presidential candidate.
The National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu, who disclosed this during ADC’s Fund Raising Dinner/First Annual Global Handshake Awards, in Abuja on Friday, said ADC’s main priority was the wellbeing of Nigeria.
He said as a party with integrity, ADC would always abide with the provisions of the CUPP Memorandum of Understanding and assured members, stakeholders and supporters that all grey areas would be addressed to ensure that all ADC votes were protected in the National Assembly and other elections.
Nwosu also maintained that ADC’s 115 sitting legislators at the state and federal levels and others contesting election at different levels would defeat the ruling and other parties in 2019.
On the fate of the party’s presidential candidate, Dr.Obadiah Mailafia, the National Chairman explained that all presidential aspirants had been properly briefed before the primary on the decision of the party to adhere strictly to the provisions of the CUPP MoU.
“Our presidential aspirants were properly briefed before and during the screening exercise for the primary. We made it clear to them that they, and presidential candidates of other member parties, would have to go into the CUPP basket from where the best would emerge, based on consensus. to ensure it clear that the party would uphold the decision of CUPP even if other elections did not make it, because our first priority is to deliver the nation from the hands of the ruling party, and no one can do it alone,” he said.
“Since our guide, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has adopted ADC and played a critical role in the formation of CUPP, we have decided that we will follow the directions given by the Coalition team because we believe they are people of integrity. Our candidate will also respect that decision,” Nwosu added.
The Deputy National Chairman, Strategy, Innovation, and Change, Dr Chike Okogwu, said, “The ruling government has failed the nation, especially in the management of our economy. How can the Federal Government earn about N8.4 trillion but spend N6.4 trillion on fuel importation, thus needing to borrow money to pay salaries and provide unsustainable infrastructure projects?
“The candidate of CUPP will ensure local governments in Nigeria go into generating 30MW of power from either of solar, wind, hydro, that decision gas, coal, and waste dumpsites, among others. Improved power generation will drive innovation and industrialisation.”
According to the chairman, ADC currently has over five million card-carrying members across all the states of the federation.
He noted that the fund-raising dinner and awards ceremony was to garner support and evolve a people-oriented party that would effectively respond to the quest for best political leadership that would lead to the realisation of the aspirations of the founding fathers of the country.
‘We are a members-driven party that gives priority to the participation of members in the decision-making process. Through our different strategies, we have been able to achieve a membership base of over five million due-paying members,” he said.
While commending the Zonal and State executive officers of the party’s commitment to the growth and advancement of ADC, he said, “Within four months, ADC grew from having only one Bayelsa State House of Assemblymember to having over 115 elected political office holders.”
He said the party had five elected Senators, 18 members of the House of Representatives, and several members of the states’ assembly, spread across the country.
“It will interest Nigerians to know that in Oyo State alone, ADC has more members in the State House of Assembly than any other party,” he added.
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