Membership as the Bedrock of Party Leadership: The ADC Crisis

By Okoi Obono-Obla 

Membership as the Bedrock of Party Leadership: The ADC Crisis:

It is well settled that in every political party, universally, membership of such a party is a condition precedent to being a bona fide member and a prerequisite to holding any executive position in its leadership—whether at the provincial, country, ward, or national level. Every political party therefore guards its membership jealously and sacrosanctly.

It was therefore a novelty when members of the National Opposition Coalition Movement in July 2025 announced that they had adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their party for the coalition. Without resigning from the political parties to which they already belonged, they moved en masse to the ADC, supplanted its leadership, and appropriated executive positions at the national level under the pretext that its National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, had resigned his membership.

The coalition members completely took over all positions of the national officers of the ADC and appointed their own members to replace them. This was preposterous because the Constitution of the ADC clearly stipulates that before one can subscribe to membership, the criteria for admission must be fulfilled.

Article 8 (A)(i–iii) of the ADC Constitution sets out eligibility for membership:
– Any Nigerian citizen who is 18 years or older.
– Must not be a member of another political party.
– Must not be serving in the armed forces, police, or other security agencies.
– Traditional rulers and serving public officers are excluded.

Article 8 (B)(i–iii) outlines admission procedures:
– Membership is obtained at the ward level.
– Applicants must complete the prescribed form and pay membership dues.
– Acceptance requires adherence to the party’s constitution, rules, and regulations.

Since every right conferred on a person carries corresponding duties and obligations, Article 9 (i–iii) of the ADC Constitution provides members’ rights:
– To vote and be voted for in party elections.
– To participate in party activities and meetings.
– To seek redress through party organs if aggrieved.
– To enjoy equal opportunities within the party regardless of ethnicity, religion, or gender.

Article 9 (i–iv) further sets out members’ obligations:
– Uphold and defend the party’s constitution.
– Pay dues and levies as prescribed.
– Promote the aims and objectives of the party.
– Maintain discipline and loyalty to the party.
– Avoid factionalization or conduct that undermines party unity.

From a community reading of Articles 8 and 9, it is clear that those who came from the so‑called coalition in September 2025 to supplant and purport to take over all positions of the National Executive Committee of the Party—as spelled out in Article 13 (i–xiii), which includes the National Chairman, Deputy Chairmen, Vice Chairman, National Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Organizing Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Publicity Secretary, Auditors, Legal Adviser, Women Leader, and Youth Leader—were not members of the ADC.

In law, you cannot put something on nothing; when you do, it will surely crumble like a pack of cards.

It stands to reason that the present intractable crisis in the ADC, which has rent the party into two irreconcilable factions and triggered debilitating litigation likely to sound the death knell of the party, has its genesis in the unconstitutional and undemocratic manner in which those from the coalition attempted to take over the party and displace its leadership. This is contrary to the impression being created in the public space that the crisis was masterminded and sponsored by the governing APC and the Federal Government, as touted by naysayers.

Conclusion:
The ADC crisis is not the product of external manipulation but rather of internal disregard for its constitution. Membership is the foundation of legitimacy in party leadership, and any attempt to bypass this principle undermines the very fabric of democratic organization.