Dalung accuses ADC of risking 2027 election participation

….Faults Aregbesola over caretaker committee appointments Solomon Dalung, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has accused the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, of unilaterally appointing caretaker committees across the states, warning that the move could undermine the party’s pending case before the Supreme Court and jeopardise its participation in the 2027 elections.

The former Minister of Youth and Sports Development made the allegations in a video posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday. He alleged that appointment letters purportedly signed by Aregbesola had been circulated to members of the caretaker committees to manage the party’s affairs across the country. Dalung expressed concern that the party was taking decisions capable of worsening its legal challenges despite a pending appeal before the Supreme Court.

“This evening, I bring a strong-worded message to the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Nigeria. It seems that the party has not learned any lesson from the plethora of litigations confronting it,” he said. “We woke up this morning with social media inundated with letters of appointment of caretaker committee members for the 36 states, signed by the national secretary of the party.” He alleged that the appointments involved individuals removed from office by the Court of Appeal, adding that their challenge against the decisions remained pending before the apex court.

Describing the action as a disregard for due process, Dalung accused the party leadership of attempting to pre-empt the Supreme Court’s decision. “This action of the party is intended to undermine the integrity of the judiciary and pre-empt the decision on the matter before your lordships at the Supreme Court,” he said. “This act is unacceptable to right-thinking Nigerians and lovers of the principles of the rule of law and democracy.

And as a minister in the temple of justice and a barrister of the Supreme Court, I will not stand with the ADC to undermine the judicial process.” He urged the party to suspend the planned inauguration of the caretaker committees, scheduled for Wednesday, pending the determination of the appeal by the Supreme Court. Dalung warned that proceeding with the inauguration could weaken the party’s legal position and threaten its participation in the 2027 general election.

“Should the party proceed to inaugurate these persons, the consequences are obvious. It means the ADC is not committed to participating in the 2027 elections,” he said. “The ADC cannot approach the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the removal of these persons following the state congresses and national convention, and then turn around, while the appeal is pending, to invite the same persons and inaugurate them as chairmen of caretaker committees.” Questions Aregbesola’s authority Dalung also questioned why Aregbesola alone signed the appointment letters, arguing that the party’s administrative procedures required both the national chairman and national secretary to sign letters of such significance.

“This letter was unilaterally signed by the national secretary. Why did the national chairman not sign the appointment letters of the caretaker committees, whose members would be saddled with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the party in the states?” he queried. He said he had repeatedly advised against the appointments and distanced himself from the party’s decision.

The former minister warned that if the Supreme Court eventually ruled against the ADC, the party should not blame external forces, describing any resulting setback as a “self-inflicted injury”. He called on the party leadership to withdraw the appointment letters and await the apex court’s decision. “Otherwise, the party is going to pay dearly for it, and I do not think the Supreme Court will sympathise with the party because this would amount to the ADC acting as the Supreme Court of Nigeria and determining what will happen,” he added.