The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ebonyi State has thrown its weight behind former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The party also inaugurated a reconciliation committee to reunite aggrieved members and strengthen party unity, ahead of the polls.
The resolutions were reached during an all-stakeholders meeting held on Thursday in Abakaliki, convened by the party’s governorship candidate, Tobias Oriji, following the conclusion of the party’s primaries.
Speaking at the meeting, Oriji said the gathering is aimed at fostering unity among party members and charting a common path towards electoral success in 2027.
He disclosed that the party had constituted a reconciliation committee mandated to engage aggrieved members, identify the causes of disaffection within the party and recommend measures to restore harmony.
According to him, disagreements are inevitable in politics but should not be allowed to undermine the collective interest of the party.
“We have set up a reconciliation committee that will meet with our aggrieved members and report back to us. We want to understand their grievances so that we can work together as one family towards victory in 2027,” Oriji said.
He explained that local government and ward leaders had also been directed to identify vacant executive positions created by defections and recommend suitable replacements to strengthen party structures across the state.
The governorship candidate called on members allegedly operating parallel structures within the party to return and work with the recognised leadership.
“There is only one ADC in Ebonyi State. We are calling on all aggrieved members to come together and join hands with us because our focus is to build a stronger party capable of winning elections,” he stated.
Oriji further urged Nigerians to reject vote-buying and vote according to their conscience, arguing that the country’s current socio-economic challenges were partly the result of poor electoral choices.
Chairman of the reconciliation committee and ADC Vice Chairman for Ebonyi South Zone, Uduma Uduma, said the committee would immediately commence consultations with aggrieved members to determine the causes of the crisis and seek lasting solutions.
He noted that the committee has been mandated to engage all concerned parties, including members associated with a parallel faction, with a view to restoring peace and unity within the party.
“Our assignment is to understand the concerns of those who feel aggrieved and see how we can address them through dialogue and mediation. We are optimistic that we will achieve reconciliation and strengthen the party,” Uduma said.
Also speaking, the Ebonyi State Chairman of ADC, Mrs. Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor, described the meeting as the beginning of efforts to unite all members behind the party’s candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
She said the party has successfully produced candidates for various elective positions and must now concentrate on building cohesion and mobilising support across the state.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. If we must succeed in the next election, all members must come together and work for the collective interest of the party,” she said.
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Adibe-Nwafor formally announced the state chapter’s adoption of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate and expressed support for the leadership of former Senate President, David Mark, as national chairman of the ADC.
She disclosed that the newly inaugurated seven-member reconciliation committee would extend an olive branch to members who failed to attend the stakeholders’ meeting and others who may have reservations about the party’s current leadership.
The state chairman reiterated that there was only one recognised ADC structure in Ebonyi State and warned against attempts to create parallel leadership within the party.
She further revealed that the party has ratified caretaker arrangements at the state, local government and ward levels pending further directives from the national leadership.
