Tonte Ibraye, the ADC party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 Rivers State gubernatorial election has quit the party because of the protracted leadership crises within the party as well as concerns about the legitimacy of the internal procedures of the party prior to 2027.
He quit the party by way of a resignation letter dated September 24 and was published on his Instagram account. The resignation letter was written to the chairman of ADC Degema Ward 16 in Bille, Rivers State.
The former gubernatorial candidate said he had been faithful to the party and its ideologies of internal democracy, fairness, and recognition of party structures. He said the recent occurrences in the party had made it impossible for him to be part of the party anymore.
The specific issue highlighted by Ibraye involved the efforts by some of the newly admitted members of the party to either oust or replace current members of party executives in different parts of the country. This, according to Ibraye, may cause damage to the current structures of the party and thus affect its performance in the 2027 elections.
He referred to the leadership conflict between the faction of the former Senate President, David Mark. Ibraye asked whether a group that is facing serious legal issues can handle the process of electing party members to contest in the 2027 elections.
Candidates who come out of such disputed party structures may face doubts about the legitimacy and durability of their candidatures.
Ibraye said that the ADC cannot build confidence in the eyes of the public when its structures are fighting against each other through legal and organizational issues. He said that the current problem facing the party is not a normal political conflict but an ideological one.
This follows a time when the ADC is trying to establish itself as an opposition force ahead of the 2027 general elections. The party has managed to recruit influential political personalities who have called for a robust opposition alliance, but this situation has equally led to more conflicts regarding the control of the party’s structure and its candidate selection processes.
Outside of the problems within the ADC, Ibraye faulted the opposition in Nigeria, pointing out that they are overly concerned about getting President Bola Tinubu down without showing Nigerians how they will do things better.
According to Ibraye, opposition parties and politicians need to show Nigerians tangible policies and programmes that will help solve the economic and social issues within the country as opposed to simply working towards getting rid of the president.
Justifying his departure from the party, Ibraye referred to the party as a ‘sinking political ship’, and stated that he would meet with his supporters, political friends, and community leaders in Rivers State before making any further political move.
He thanked his colleagues and supporters in the party he had worked with, and stated that his resignation would be immediately effective. According to Ibraye, resigning from the ADC would not impact his dedication to Rivers State and Nigeria or his belief in accountable governance.
