The newly registered Action Democratic
Party (ADP) promises to redefine the
nation’s electoral process in 2019. Will the
party repeat the feat of the All Progressives
Congress (APC)? Asks ONYEKACHI EZE
Among the five political parties newly
registered by the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) is the Action
Democratic Party (ADP).
The ADP was registered alongside the
Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance
(APDA), Young Progressive Party (YPP), New
Generation Party of Nigeria (NGP) and All
Democratic Peoples Movement (ADPM). They
were the only political associations out of 95
others that met the constitutional conditions
and were registered by INEC as political
parties.
Formerly known as North Central Unity Bridge
(NCUB), the ADP prides itself as Nigeria’s new
mega political party that is out to defeat the
ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and
the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) in 2019 general elections.
Former Chief Whip of the Senate Rowland
Owie, said “ADP is the mega-party that
everybody has been talking about, and we are
going to correct all the mistakes of both PDP
and APC before 2019 because both of them
have failed Nigerians.”
Senator Owie, a former member of PDP, is the
South-South coordinator of the new party. He
said at the inauguration of the executive
members of ADP in Edo State that the PDP
failed Nigerians for 16 years while the APC-led
Federal Government is confused about how to
redeem the economy.
“As it is today, there is no democracy in our
local governments because state governments
pocket the state INECs and turned them to
their personal property with no hope for the
opposition parties. This has not helped to
grow democracy at the grassroots.
“ADP is going to make strong appeal to the
National Assembly to ensure that they scrap
state INECs and allow the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) to
conduct elections at that level so as to save
our democracy,” Owie added.
Apart from Senator Owie, other notable names
believed to be associated with the party
include the pioneer PDP National Secretary,
Chief Rex Onyeabor, Senator Joseph Waku,
Hon. Amusa Amanga, from governor of
Plateau State, Fidelis Tapgun, and former
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs,
Ambassador Bagudu Hirse.
Also said to be members are former Minister
of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Senator Solomon Ewuga, immediate past
Director General of National Orientation
Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, Senator Usman
Jibrin and Senator Haliru Kaima.
There is also a former Minister of State for
Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr.
Nojeem Awodele.
ADP is believed to have drawn its members
mainly from aggrieved members of the PDP
and APC.
Protem National Chairman, Yagbayi Sani,
described ADP as an alternative political party
that would put the country “on the path of
sustainable development and national
cohesion.”
Sani added that “The current pathetic and
weak conditions of the existing major political
parties in Nigeria as well as the challenging
socio-economic and political situation in the
country made us establish this party… It is a
child of necessity.”
Some PDP and APC members who are
sympathetic with the ADP are working behind
the scene. They would not want to make their
membership public at the moment, probably
for fear of being sanctioned by their parties.
In April this year, Ondo State PDP chairman,
Clement Faboyede warned members of the
party in the state against fraternising with any
proposed mega party.
The warning came in the heels of the
disqualification of Prince Eyitayo Jegede by a
Federal High Court in Abuja, as PDP candidate
for last November’s governorship election in
the state.
Faboyede said in a statement that the party in
the state has taken notice of the fact “that
certain members of the party are currently
spreading rumour that the party is
transforming into a supposedly mega party
and therefore on a recruitment drive into the
said new mega party.
“We want to inform all members that there is
no truth in that claim and they should
therefore not be deceived into a phantom
action that is calculated to deceive and exploit
them.”
He blamed this on “the behaviour of some
party members who are presently exhibiting
inordinate ambitions and therefore embarked
on the process of forming cliques and groups
for their personal and selfish interest…
“We also wish to inform our dear members
that all claims by those perpetrating this
disloyal action that they are in tandem with
certain national leaders in their drive for the
mega Party is total falsehood as those leaders
have completely disown them.”
ADP mega party status seemed to have been
bolstered by a meeting held between its
leaders and the United State Embassy in Abuja
last year. The US Embassy delegation was led
by Robert Wang. The meeting was centred on
political development in Nigeria and the need
for a vibrant democratic culture in the country.
A member of the party was quoted to have
explained: “They came to have an interface
with us and get to know our political ideology;
get to know the leaders of the party; then
know the manifesto of the party. They wanted
to hear from us and our mission; to encourage
us because they are concerned about the
political space and democratic development in
Nigeria.”
Russell Brooks, US Embassy Information
Officer, however, said the meeting was a
routine and normal “for Embassy political
officers to meet with representatives of various
political parties in order to hear from all
points on the political spectrum,” which
should not be viewed as endorsement.
The ADP is seeking to equal the feat of the
APC. The party is optimistic that it is going to
win the 2019 presidential election. Sani, the
interim national chairman, said the “ADP is an
idea which time has come so nobody can stop
it,” adding, “The situation in country calls for
political realignment and re-direction.”
Former Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun
Mimiko had predicted that “if we (PDP) mess
up, out of the ashes of PDP and APC, a third
force will emerge. And there is nothing you
can do about it.
“When the expectations of people are not met
as it is the reality today they will look for
alternative. I pray and hope that they will get
our acts together, that we will provide our
country with that alternative.”
Former acting governor of Kogi State, Clarence
Olafemi said PDP and APC will fall before
2019 due to lingering internal crises. “Having
seen both the inside and outside of both
parties at one time or the other, I make bold to
say that both of them would break before the
next general elections in 2019,” he said.
Olafemi also said the registration of the five
new political parties by INEC would afford
political aspirants opportunity to make
choices.
ADP may have to contend with the APDA for
the claim of aggrieved PDP and APC members.
The party has a prominent PDP member, Chief
Raymond Dokpesi as one of its major
promoters.
There were also rumours that the PDP
National Caretaker Committee led by Senator
Ahmed Makarfi has directed party members in
Lagos State to register with the APDA for the
state local government election.
Though the faction has consistently denied
this but the presence of some PDP staff at the
presentation of the party to the public two
weeks ago. The presence of Dokpesi at the
event undoubtedly confirmed the party’s link
with some members of PDP.
Former National Chairman of Labour Party,
Chief Dan Nwanyanwu who is now a member
of APDA interim National Executive Committee,
admitted that “none of the promoters and
foundation members” of the party is new in
Nigeria politics.
Interim National Chairman Mallam Shitu
Mohammed Kabiru tactically dodged the
question on some PDP leaders said to have
link with the party. He only said the door of
the party is open to every Nigerian to join.
INEC had earlier admitted that Advanced
Peoples Democratic Party (APDP) had applied
to it for registration but it was rejected
because it has similar acronym with an
already existing political party.
But all of a sudden APDA appeared and was
registered even though All Progressive Grand
Alliance (APGA) objected because the new
party has a similar acronym with it.
APGA National Chairman Victor Oye said “This
is capable of confusing prospective voters in
an election; therefore, INEC should not register
the new party in view of our formal protest. It
should do something urgently to avert the
impending confusion.”
It does appear that APDA is taking the shine
of ADP. The trend of event between the times
it applied for registration and the emergence
of APDA might have turned the table against
it.
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