UK defends officials’ attendance of ADC convention as standard diplomatic practice

The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has justified the presence of its officials at the national convention of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stating that such engagements are routine diplomatic practice.

The response came after reports emerged that a delegation from the British High Commission had attended the event, which took place on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to the ADC, the three-member team was headed by Thomas Samson, Political Secretary at the British High Commission, and also included Damilola Oyedele, a Nigerian staff member.

The party further claimed that a Chinese diplomat named Yu Dunhai was also present.

However, the Chinese embassy in Nigeria denied this, saying neither its ambassador nor any other Chinese diplomat attended. An embassy official added that an Asian man seen at the venue was not known to the mission.

In response to inquiries, an FCDO spokesperson explained that diplomatic missions regularly interact with a broad range of political and civic actors, including political parties.

“Officials from the British High Commission, like other international missions, are invited to and routinely attend a variety of events and meetings, including those hosted by political parties,” the spokesperson said.

“Attendance at these events reflects the UK government’s commitment to and engagement with Nigeria’s democratic process.”

The UK did not explicitly confirm or deny that its representatives were present at the ADC event.

The FCDO noted that Britain continues to support credible, inclusive, and peaceful elections in Nigeria through cooperation aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and electoral processes.

While diplomatic missions often maintain contact with multiple political stakeholders, including opposition parties, it is less common for officials to attend party conventions—especially when they are publicly introduced at such events.

The ADC, which is positioning itself as a major opposition force ahead of the 2027 elections, has recently attracted several high-profile political figures from across party lines.

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.

See author's posts