Fani-Kayode mocks ADC leadership crisis after INEC derecognises David Mark, Aregbesola

Former Minister of Aviation and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Fani-Kayode, has mocked the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision to derecognise the party’s leadership involving Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola.

In a post on X on Thursday, Fani-Kayode described the development as a major blow to the opposition party’s political aspirations. “Given the fact that they have been affected by the decisions of the courts and INEC and they no longer have a party and platform to stand and run on… who are the ones that have been rejected now?” he wrote.

He added that the ADC had suffered multiple rejections, saying, “They have been rejected by the courts, rejected by INEC, rejected by their original founders and rejected by the Nigerian people.”

The former minister also questioned the party’s readiness for future elections, advising them to focus on rebuilding.

“May I suggest that they channel all their energy to building up and forming a real opposition party over the next five years and then field a candidate for the 2031 presidential election? Given the circumstances, that is their best bet because 2027 is already lost to them,” he stated.

Fani-Kayode further argued that the ADC deserved its current crisis, accusing its leaders of only lamenting without offering concrete solutions.

“This is what happens when all you do is pose for group shots, talk balderdash on television, contract an army of malignant and malevolent trolls on social media, employ the services of leporous and incompetent spokesmen, contract rag sheets to spread lies and fake news, rely on your foreign friends to bring carnage and destruction and destabilise our country and lament from morning till night without offering any concrete solutions. Frankly they got what they deserved,” he said.

INEC’s removal of Mark and Aregbesola from its portal as ADC national chairman and national secretary respectively followed the commission’s interpretation of a Court of Appeal ruling on the party’s leadership dispute. Meanwhile, the ADC has said that despite the commission’s announcement on Wednesday, over 40,000 Nigerians have since joined the party.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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