The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ondo State is embroiled in a deepening crisis following allegations that a faction dominated by defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has hijacked the party’s structure.
The accusation was levelled by the party’s former governorship candidate in the state, Barrister Myson Nejo, against a group led by Prof. Bode Ayorinde. Nejo claims the group joined the ADC as part of a coalition but has since moved to sideline the party’s original leadership and seize control.
The coalition, formed to build a united opposition front ahead of the 2027 elections, has instead become a battleground. According to Nejo, the PDP-aligned members pursued a separate agenda from the outset, deliberately excluding the authentic ADC state leadership from critical meetings and planning sessions.
The crisis reached a head during a recent meeting at Deja Vu Hotels in Ondo State. Nejo alleged that while other coalition tendencies were instructed to bring limited delegates, Ayorinde mobilised a large contingent of his supporters to pack the venue.
“In a stunning move, he unilaterally declared himself the State Coordinator of the ADC and announced that the sitting state chairman would be relegated to secretary,” Nejo stated.
The announcement was met with immediate resistance from longstanding ADC members, who decried it as a “blatant power grab” and an attempt to run the party like a “one-man business.” The meeting subsequently ended in chaos.
Nejo emphasised that the national leadership of the ADC had not approved any such appointment. He suggested the “coordinator” title was part of a broader political strategy to dominate party structures.
He further accused the Ayorinde faction of prioritising individual ambitions, such as supporting Senator Nicholas Tofowomo’s bid in Ondo South, over the party’s collective growth.
In his response, Nejo issued a direct challenge to Prof. Ayorinde: “Proceed to your ward, openly declare your support for the ADC, and formally join the party like every other committed member.”
He warned that imposing outsiders on the party’s local structures had sown “unnecessary division, crisis, and confusion,” and reaffirmed the authority of the democratically elected state leadership.
“The ADC in Ondo State belongs to all genuine members, and its growth must be democratic, inclusive, and people-centred. We will not tolerate or accept the party being run as a one-man show,” Nejo concluded.
Discussion about this post