The leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abia State has taken a new twist, as the embattled State Chairman, Don Norman Obinna, has dismissed his purported suspension, insisting he remains the authentic leader of the party.
At a press briefing on Friday, Obinna described the harmonisation and unification meeting held in Aba at Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe’s event centre as nothing but a “political jamboree” orchestrated to destabilise the party. He maintained that the process was unconstitutional and lacked legitimacy.
“Abia ADC has a constitution. No officer, not even a national welfare officer, has the power to convene such a meeting without the State Chairman, let alone pronounce a suspension. What happened at Senator Abaribe’s event centre was a political comedy staged by those bent on destabilising the ADC,” Obinna declared.
Reinforcing Obinna’s position, the ADC National Vice Chairman (South East), Bon Unachukwu, who was around at the Obinna Don Norman led Executive meeting condemned the purported suspension, stressing that it was a clear violation of party protocols and therefore invalid. He maintained that the gathering did not have the sanction of the party’s national leadership and should be disregarded.
LGA Chairmen, Executives, and Women’s Wing Rally Behind Obinna
Backing Obinna, Chief Emenike , Chairman of Umuahia North and leader of ADC’s 17 Local Government Chairmen, reaffirmed their loyalty, declaring that the party’s grassroots structures remain intact under Obinna’s leadership.
“Don Norman Obinna is the symbol of ADC in Abia State and will remain so. No amount of mischief can destabilise our structures,” Emenike said.
Other LGA chairmen, including Prince Okwara (Ohafia), Udo Obi (Osisioma), and Chibike Emmanuel (Ikwuano), also dismissed the harmonisation meeting as illegitimate.
Similarly, the Publicity Secretary, Chiamaka Peters, faulted the meeting, noting that Ikemo Kandu, who was paraded as convener, had no constitutional right to suspend a sitting state chairman.
“The ADC constitution is clear. The so-called harmonisation exercise was nothing more than an effort by enemies of the party,” he said.
The ADC Women’s leader Nkem Ukandu further pledged her support and that of all the women to Obinna, warning against external interference in the state chapter’s affairs.
Background to the Crisis
The crisis was triggered last week when some stakeholders announced Obinna’s suspension at the controversial Aba meeting, citing alleged misconduct, high-handedness, and mismanagement. A disciplinary committee was reportedly set up to investigate, giving Obinna 14 days to respond.
Obinna, however, insists that the process is politically motivated and unconstitutional, stressing that the ADC structure in Abia remains firmly under his control.
With the National Vice Chairman (South East), local chairmen, and party executives rejecting the Aba meeting, the battle over the soul of Abia ADC appears far from over as the state chapter heads toward deeper factionalisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
