South-West ADC backs Aregbesola, dismisses removal petition as baseless

The leadership of the South-West branch of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has publicly supported party secretary Rauf Aregbesola, disputing allegations that the removal of Aregbesola as National Secretary is valid. The regional leadership, spearheaded by National Vice Chairman Akinbowale Omole, released a clarification following a gathering of prominent national and regional ADC officers.

The meeting aimed at addressing claims made by individuals who allegedly represented the ADC in the Southwest. These individuals, according to the South-West leadership, were in fact "disgruntled elements" associated with former minister Kachikwu Ibe and federal lawmaker Leke Abejide, who had recently lost a legal battle at the Court of Appeal.

The South-West ADC rejected a petition seeking Aregbesola's removal, asserting that the petition's authors were not recognized representatives of the party. The regional leadership highlighted that these accusers had a history of breaching party rules and moving against the party’s leadership. They emphasized that the National Secretary's role is to implement decisions made by the party's highest bodies, and thus, the allegations against Aregbesola were baseless and misleading.

The ADC's Southwest branch stressed that the allegations ignore the National Secretary's constitutional role and questioned the logic of accusing the National Secretary of creating parallel structures or manipulating primaries. The statement emphasized that the National Executive Committee of the ADC approved the outcomes of primary elections, and not the National Secretary.

The South-West ADC leadership rebuked the accusers, stating they had violated the party constitution during previous elections and urging them to return under the party's authorized leadership. The ADC's Southwest branch reaffirmed that Omole remains the recognized leader of the regional branch, warning against anyone attempting to impersonate the party leadership.