AH-Abuja Nigeria
The ADC Delta State governorship candidate has appealed to Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi and the party’s national leadership to prioritise reconciliation, fairness and internal accountability.
Dr Emmanuel Usiwoghene Unuafe, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Delta State, has called on the party’s national leadership to address internal grievances and ensure that its conduct reflects the principles it presents to Nigerians.
In a candid appeal addressed to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi and the ADC National Leadership, Unuafe said his intervention was motivated by concern for the party’s future rather than bitterness or rebellion.
He noted that millions of Nigerians were beginning to see the ADC as a credible alternative to the established political order, but warned that the party must distinguish itself through its internal practices—not merely through its name or the personalities associated with it.
“There is a danger that we may be presenting ‘new wine in old bottles,’” Unuafe said. He expressed concern that some of the political methods, interests and calculations associated with the country’s existing political culture could find their way into the ADC.
The governorship candidate stressed that the involvement of experienced politicians was not, in itself, the problem, arguing that political experience could be valuable. According to him, the greater danger would arise if leaders promising a credible alternative tolerated within the party the same injustices they had previously condemned.
“A political movement cannot credibly preach justice while remaining silent when injustice occurs within its own house,” he said.
Unuafe argued that the ADC could not convincingly promise Nigerians fairness, transparency and accountability unless it demonstrated those principles in the treatment of its members and the resolution of internal disputes.
He warned that silence in the face of perceived injustice particularly when motivated by immediate political considerations could undermine public confidence in the party and carry long-term consequences.
“The people may forgive political mistakes, but history rarely forgives leaders who knowingly watched injustice unfold and chose convenience over conscience,” he stated.
Directing his appeal to Atiku, Amaechi and the national leadership, Unuafe urged them not to allow the ADC to become another political platform in which personalities change while the underlying political culture remains the same.
“The ADC must be bigger than any individual. It must be bigger than any faction. It must be bigger than any ambition,” he said, adding that the party must be governed by principles Nigerians can trust.
He called for genuine reconciliation where grievances exist, good-faith negotiations where disagreements have emerged and corrective action wherever mistakes may have been made.
“Where people have been wronged, give them justice,” Unuafe urged. “Do not allow pride, political calculations or the fear of admitting mistakes to destroy what could otherwise become a historic movement for Nigeria.”
Drawing on the biblical account of Moses, who led the Israelites towards the Promised Land but did not enter it, Unuafe cautioned that individuals could contribute to building something significant yet fail to witness its fulfilment if the process was compromised.
He expressed hope that the present ADC leadership would not be remembered as having missed an opportunity to build a genuine political alternative because it failed to address internal wrongs.
“There is still time,” he said. “Retrace your steps. Reconcile. Negotiate. Correct what needs to be corrected. Restore confidence. Do not wait until the consequences become irreversible.”
Unuafe maintained that his intervention was not centred on one individual, personal ambition or a single political contest. Rather, he said, it concerned the broader question of whether the ADC would become the credible alternative many Nigerians desire or be regarded as another manifestation of the country’s familiar political culture.
“The choice is before you. To be forewarned is to be forearmed,” he concluded, urging the party’s leaders to allow wisdom, justice and courage to guide their decisions at what he described as a critical moment.
Dr Emmanuel Usiwoghene Unuafe, MAPM, MCMI, CMgr, HND, MSc, PgCTHE, FHEA, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Operations and Project Management in the Department of Supply Chain and Project Management, School of Management and Executive Education, Arden University. He is one of the factional ADC governorship candidates in Delta State for the 2027 election.
