By Roy Ofori, Global Affairs Editor, African Heritage Magazine
Hon. (Dr.) Kenneth Chibuogwu Gbandi, Deputy National Chairman, Diaspora Engagement, and Chairman of ADC-DN, has finally broken his silence over the controversies surrounding the David Mark-led ADC interim leadership, declaring that he is not leaving the African Democratic Congress, ADC, despite growing speculation about his political future.
In a press response issued by the Gbandi Media Office, the former ADC Deputy National Chairman made it clear that he would remain in the party to defend what he described as the soul, structure, and original DNA of the ADC.
According to the statement, recent speculation suggesting that Gbandi may be preparing to resign from the party does not reflect his present political position. Rather than walk away, the statement emphasized that Gbandi has chosen to stay, engage, and resist any attempt to weaken the foundational values of the party.
“The attention of the Gbandi Media Office has been drawn to a speculative article suggesting that Hon. (Dr.) Kenneth Chibuogwu Gbandi may be preparing to resign from the African Democratic Congress. While we acknowledge the concerns raised, it is important to state clearly that Hon. Gbandi is not going anywhere,” the statement noted.
For Gbandi, the ADC is not merely a political platform. It represents a vision of inclusion, equity, reform, grassroots participation, and diaspora engagement. That vision, he believes, cannot be abandoned simply because some actors, acting under temporary authority, seek to distort the foundational character of the party.
The statement further drew a comparison with the 2023 Labour Party experience, warning that the sudden excitement around new political alignments ahead of 2027 may produce another déjà vu if it is not anchored on structure, due process, ideology, and internal democracy.
According to the Media Office, Gbandi has seen this pattern before. In 2023, similar political excitement surrounded the Labour Party, only for hurried movements without institutional depth to later produce contradictions. He believes that any new attraction to the NDC ahead of 2027 may suffer the same fate if it is not built on firm democratic foundations.
“Political movements are not built by impulse, crowd psychology, or temporary media momentum. They are built through institutions, sacrifice, consistency, and respect for those who carried the burden when the road was lonely,” the statement added.
At the heart of Gbandi’s concern is the alleged exclusion or weakening of the ADC Diaspora Network, ADC-DN, from the party’s constitutional structure. The platform, widely described by its promoters as the 7th geopolitical zone within the ADC, was conceived to give diaspora members full rights, responsibilities, privileges, and strategic relevance within the party.
The statement maintained that ADC-DN remains non-negotiable.
Gbandi believes that just as the Nigerian diaspora, through NIDO and other patriotic platforms, took years of persistence to earn full recognition from the Federal Government of Nigeria, the ADC Diaspora Network has also come too far to be casually erased, mutilated, or reduced by political convenience.
He is therefore not prepared to surrender what he considers a historic achievement for diaspora political inclusion within the ADC.
The Media Office described the action of the David Mark-led interim leadership as a fatal political and constitutional error, insisting that tampering with ADC-DN amounts to an assault on the inclusive DNA that once gave the ADC its moral distinction.
“Any attempt to remove or weaken diaspora participation from the party’s constitutional structure is not only unfair to members abroad, but also a direct attack on the inclusive DNA that gave ADC its moral distinction,” the statement declared.
The statement also made clear that the issue goes beyond Gbandi as an individual. It is about whether the ADC will remain a reform-driven democratic platform or become another temporary shelter for political convenience.
Gbandi, according to the statement, remains committed to due process, internal democracy, and the protection of legacy structures. He will continue to consult widely with party leaders, legacy members, aspirants, diaspora stakeholders, and grassroots structures.
However, the Media Office stressed that his position should not be misread as retreat or silence. It is, instead, a declaration of principled resistance.
“ADC-DN has come to stay. The diaspora voice within ADC will not be silenced. The DNA of ADC must be defended,” the statement concluded.
