Mr Dumebi Kachikwu, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has accused some desperate politicians involved in the coalition of opposition parties of importing political corruption into the party, alleging that some state chairmen of the party are being induced to relinquish their positions.

While pleading with Nigerians not to be deceived by claims that a coalition is adopting ADC as its platform, Kachikwu disclosed that what was actually happening was a plot by a group of desperate political office seekers to hijack the ADC.

He alleged that in the bid to achieve the complete takeover of the ADC platform, the so-called coalition opposition politicians are currently “offering some of the state chairmen as much as N20,000,000 to resign their positions, which goes to show that their intentions are not honourable.”

Kachikwu, who briefed journalists in Abuja on Thursday, stated: “This fake coalition is staging events in different parts of the country, where they pay poor Nigerians to say they are decamping from other parties to the ADC.

“This is the typical strategy of these old politicians, and we have had enough of it. They need to sing a new song. My question to this gang is this: if you succeed in paying off all the ADC party officials at state and local government levels to resign, what next?

“Our constitution still doesn’t allow you to assume those offices. This is the plain and simple truth. Your money will get you nowhere in the ADC.”

He dismissed suggestions in some quarters that he was being sponsored to destabilise the coalescing of patriotic Nigerians on the ADC, regreting that “there is a lot of deliberate misinformation going on by these agents of destabilisation masquerading as a political coalition.”

Insisting that the intent of the recent joiners is less than noble, Kachikwu noted that a clear difference exists between a political coalition and a political gang-up, adding that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s involvement exposes the underhand plots in the ongoing efforts to take over ADC.

Kachikwu blamed the former Vice President for destroying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP_ with his rejection of the power rotation principle, which he supported in 2015. He said Atiku should publicly declare his stance on the zoning of the 2027 presidency if he is to be taken seriously in his claim of rescuing Nigeria and democracy.

His words: “Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a man whose antecedents clearly show he doesn’t believe anyone from the southern part of Nigeria is deserving of being president of Nigeria, orchestrated this charade for his personal benefit.

“He almost truncated President Obasanjo’s return for a second term because he believed the seat was his. President Jonathan suffered the same fate, and then, after eight years of late President Buhari’s presidency, the same Atiku believes it was morally right for him to be the presidential flag bearer of the PDP in the last presidential election.

“This was most unjust and unfair and led to the current disintegration of that party. He is now using some charlatans to deceive former governor Peter Obi that only he, Atiku, has what it takes to win an election, because he can get the majority of the North to vote for him.

“This is most uncharitable. If the former Vice President says my assertions are not true and that all he wants is a better Nigeria, I then challenge him today to publicly declare that equity demands that the presidency should stay in the South for another six years.”

The former ADC presidential standard bearer asserted that as long as Atiku would not subscribe to equity and fairness in political dealings, he would continue to oppose the ongoing efforts to hijack ADC.

“I want to reiterate that the ADC is not for sale and is not an old people’s home. We are a party that believes Nigeria needs fresh faces, fresh ideals and fresh ideas. This current political war is the war of the old for the old; it is not our fight,” he surmised.