By Dapo Akinrefon
FORMER National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Chief Okey Nwosu, yesterday, disclosed that the party has set up mechanisms to flush out infiltrators from the All Progressives Congress, APC, from its fold.
He also insisted that offers were made to him by the Federal Government to scuttle the ADC coalition.
Speaking on Arise television, the founder of the party, who said he is now a floor member in the party, said: “One of the biggest critical calls that the coalition has made is in choosing its leaders, somebody like Senator David Mark; and former governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. One of the steps they have taken is to identify and expose these individuals (infiltrators) and determine what they are trying to sell. David Mark is a military tactician who has entered politics. He has used these to deal with the opposition. He told us to do certain things to smoke the infiltrators out and expose them. All of these things we are doing are anticipated. We are just praying that everything will go well so that all the ideas these new leaders have will work out well.”
Speaking on the offers made to him, Nwosu said: “I have heard the government’s refusal and I am not confronting with the government. What we are asking for is for us to go to the ballot box. Why do you (FG) want to stop political parties, not only ADC? You can see what is happening in the PDP.
I was made offers and I have records and meetings not only here in Nigeria but I will not mention names. The government is using them to scuttle what we are doing in the ADC.”
Asked what the the government had done, Nwosu said: “They have used them (infiltrators) to go to court to say they don’t agree with what we are doing and that it should be stopped. They are being protected, we have pictures and we know where they are. It is laughable because a couple of them have reached out to me. There are five ADC members, two of them have reached out to me, one was able to run away by trying to say he is withdrawing saying he can no longer be coerced.
Presidency reacts
Meanwhile, the Presidency has denied reports that President Bola Tinubu’s administration offered ministerial appointments to Chief Nwosu to stop the ADC from joining an opposition coalition.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Tinubu, described the claim as “false and baseless” in a statement posted on Wednesday via his X account.
Nwosu had, during the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting on Tuesday, alleged that the government approached him with an offer of three ministerial positions, one for himself and two for his nominees, in exchange for backing out of plans to reposition the ADC as a platform for opposition figures ahead if the 2027 general election.
Bwala, however, insisted no government official, no matter the rank, can offer ministerial slots except the President himself.
“From his words as reported, you know that he lied,” Bwala said. “No government official(s) in our administration can promise or grant ministerial slots but Mr. President.”
He challenged Nwosu to publicly name the officials allegedly involved.
“The same courage he mustered in saying he was promised slots should have been used to mention names,” he added.
Bwala went further to describe the current state of the ADC as “an association of jesters or disorganised characters.”
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