Ogona Anita
Veteran journalist and politician, Dele Momodu, has urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to enforce internal discipline early to avoid the kind of crisis that once crippled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Momodu recalled being present in Abuja last year when opposition figures converged to adopt ADC as a coalition platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as voluntary and driven by a shared commitment to democratic values.
According to him, the conveners of the meeting assured participants that ADC would be an open, inclusive party anchored on internal democracy, discipline and order, with no individual or group allowed to derail its objectives.
He said these assurances were reinforced by the emergence of a respected Army veteran, General David Mark (rtd), as chairman, a development he believed would guarantee firmness and structure within the party.
Momodu, however, expressed concern that recent developments suggest rising aggression and unruly conduct among some groups within the coalition. He warned that attempts by any faction to impose candidates through “donation and coronation” rather than elections or consensus-building threaten the very foundation of cooperation required to win national elections.
He stressed that ADC must act decisively now, warning that failure to check indiscipline could see the party repeat the PDP’s experience, where former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike wielded overwhelming influence for too long. Momodu advised that ADC should remain a party defined by unity and mutual respect, not one consumed by internal strife and disorder.
