A faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kebbi State has disowned the party’s congress held on Saturday, describing it as unlawful and in breach of an existing court order.
In a statement released on Sunday, the faction’s secretary, Adamu Aliyu, rejected the exercise organised by a rival group aligned with former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, insisting the organisers lacked the legal authority to act for the party.
“We do not recognise them as executives of ADC in Kebbi, and we also do not recognise their congress because it will not stand, having violated a valid court order issued against them long before Malami officially joined the party,” Aliyu said.
He explained that a court had earlier barred the faction led by Sufiyanu Bala from presenting themselves as the party’s leadership in the state, making any action taken by the group invalid.
“According to the law, no congress was held on Saturday because those who conducted it are not legally recognized and therefore have no right to organise such an exercise,” he added.
Aliyu further maintained that Abdulrazaq Iko remains the legitimate state chairman, as recognised by both the court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The congress they claim to have conducted was not supervised by INEC, and as such, it is invalid,” he added.
He noted that the faction would wait for the outcome of ongoing court proceedings before holding any valid congress, stressing the importance of due process.
In a separate remark, Iko urged party members and supporters to remain calm and law-abiding.
“We urge our supporters and executives to remain peaceful and await further directives as we allow the court to determine the matter,” he said.