The African Democratic Congress on Saturday held congresses in Ogun and Abia states to elect new executives ahead of the 2027 general elections, amid internal wrangling in Ogun.
In Ogun State, the party conducted parallel congresses following a leadership crisis, with two factions laying claim to legitimacy despite both aligning with the national leadership led by former Senate President, David Mark.
One faction, led by the party’s Deputy National Financial Secretary, Dimeji Fabiyi, held its congress at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta under the supervision of a national committee headed by Olatunji Shoyinka. The exercise produced Emmanuel Famojuro as state chairman.
Presenting a harmonised list of executives, Shoyinka said the process followed party guidelines and reflected the agreement of stakeholders.
“By the power conferred on me… the new state chairman will be Mr Emmanuel Famojuro,” he declared, adding that those absent from the congress had chosen to stay away.
Famojuro, in his acceptance speech, called for unity and pledged to reposition the party through grassroots mobilisation, stressing that “youths and women are the backbone of our party.”
Fabiyi, however, criticised the immediate past leadership under Femi Soluade, accusing it of stunting the party’s growth and discouraging aspirants. He alleged that the party had been turned into a “transactional platform” but expressed optimism that the new leadership would chart a better course.
But Soluade dismissed the allegations, insisting his faction remained the authentic leadership after conducting a separate congress at the party secretariat in Itoko, Abeokuta, supervised by a national official, Rasheed Salvador.
“We have been returned unopposed… we remain the authentic ADC executives in the state and are poised to deliver victory in 2027,” he said, describing claims against his leadership as “baseless and lies from the pit of hell.”
Meanwhile, in Abia State, the party held a unified congress in Umuahia, where Kalu-Kalu Agu emerged as state chairman alongside other executives through a voice vote.
In his remarks, Agu pledged to unite members and reposition the party for electoral success, saying reconciliation would be prioritised. “A house divided against itself cannot stand… we will bring every aggrieved member back to our fold,” he said.
Chairman of the Congress Committee, Fredrick Onwe, said the exercise complied with party guidelines and expressed confidence in the party’s stability in the state, despite recent developments at the national level.
Also speaking, the state publicity secretary, Francess Ogbonnaya, said the ADC was preparing to present credible candidates for governorship and other elective positions in Abia.
The congresses come amid growing political realignments within the party as it prepares for the 2027 elections.