The Kogi State Chairman of Action Democratic Congress, (ADC), John Adaji has debunked media reports that he defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC).
Addressing a crowd of supporters at a campaign rally in Okehi and Adavi Local Government on Saturday, Adaji described the report as fake.
Adaji called on the general public to ignore the report, adding that the ADC did not collapse its structure for another political party.
Adoji explained, ” I stand here before you live and direct, that I am the authentic Chairman of the ADC in Kogi State. There can’t be two captains in one ship and here I am with you and with our governorship candidate, Elder Leke Abejide. I also assured that the ADC structure is intact. The man who claimed to be Chairman and said he has decamped to the APC has been expelled from the ADC a long time ago.
Alleging that an expelled member of the party was behind the rumours, Adoji said, “The impostor, who is behind the fake news, had been suspended by the executives of ADC at his Ogga/Omi/Odo-Ara ward in Yagba West LGA for anti-party activities and embezzlement of funds.
“His suspension was ratified at the local government level and forwarded to the State Working Committee, which did the same and forwarded to the National Working Committee which ratified the decisions of the party from the ward to local government and state levels. He was subsequently expelled from the party in October, last year”, he stated.
Also speaking, a former Chairman, Okehi local government and the Director General of Leke Abejide/Idris Omede Governorship campaign council of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Adagu Suberu described the composition of the ADC leadership in Kogi State as a coalition of former stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said the people had revolted against the ruling party as a repayment of its anti-people policies, including the payment of percentage salaries to local government workers and primary school teachers.
“The Igala were in power for 19 years but in 2015, by God’s design, power transited to us in Ebiraland which produced Yahaya Bello. In 2019, he said he wanted a second term, and he got it. In 2023, equity demands that power go to our brothers in Kogi West. But when you go and pick another Ebira candidate, this is where I departed as an APC stalwart. Okun will produce the next governor of Kogi State. Okun lokan, Leke Abejide lokan”.
‘Ebira people are not greedy. Okun people and Ebira people have something in common. When it comes to power shifts, I am aware that our leaders from West and Central sat together to reason that having access to power by each zone will bring even development.
“We do not have a reason to carry daggers, knives, or guns to kill people. Power transition through peaceful rotation is achievable. That is what you see in other states, where they have peaceful transition” he stated.
The Governorship Candidate of ADC Leke Abejide on his part promised to revisit the civil service screening exercise embarked upon by the Yahaya Bello administration, if elected.
This he said is with a view to reabsorbing workers wrongly dismissed from the service, complimented with full benefits of their salary arrears.
“We will put an end to the ungodly payment of between 17-25 percent of salaries as many Kogi State civil servants have fallen Ill or died out of frustration. While schools in five LGAs are already beneficiaries of free WAEC fees which I started six years ago, the gesture will be extended to public schools of other LGAs across the state”, he said
