ADC Crisis: They hijack, abandon parties after electoral defeats – Ngogbehei tackles Atiku, Peter Obi

Public affairs analyst Marcel Ngogbehei has criticized opposition politicians for transforming Nigeria's political parties into tools for their own presidential ambitions. He claims they often seize existing party organizations, exclude founding members, and abandon the platforms when their electoral predictions fail. This accusation came after a recent Abuja High Court ruling ousted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership, headed by former Senate President David Mark.

The ADC has since appealed the decision. Ngogbehei emphasized the need for Nigeria to distance itself from a political culture where dominant politicians take over parties, leaving the original members to fight for control. He pointed to the cases of Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice-President and ADC presidential candidate, and Peter Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate, as evidence of the instability and opportunism plaguing opposition politics.

Ngogbehei maintained that the ADC crisis illustrates this point, as the party was embraced by opposition leaders aspiring to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC), only to suffer internal disputes and legal battles over the legitimacy of its leadership. He contrasted this with President Bola Tinubu's track record, highlighting his commitment to constructing lasting political frameworks through his involvement in the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and the formation of the APC.