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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vowed to prioritize youth and women in governance by allocating at least 50 percent of elective and appointive positions to them.
The party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration in Lagos on Saturday during a ceremony to welcome defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, and other political groups into the ADC fold.
Speaking under the theme: “When Good People Unite, Nigerians Win,” Aregbesola, a former Osun State governor and ex-Minister of Interior, described ADC as a youth-driven party committed to offering Nigerians a credible alternative.
He explained that the party’s constitution explicitly guarantees 35 per cent representation for women and another 35 per cent for youths, ensuring that their combined presence in leadership structures will never fall below 50 per cent.
“This is not tokenism but a recognition that Nigeria’s future lies in giving voice, space, and power to those who have long been underrepresented,” he said.
The party chieftain emphasised that the ADC is not controlled by an individual but by a collective of patriotic citizens determined to rebuild Nigeria. He criticised the hardship and uncertainty confronting the nation, warning that any government that fails to prioritise citizens’ welfare risks losing legitimacy.
“Our mission is to build a nation that future generations will be proud to inherit. Leadership must meet the basic needs of the people or it will collapse with time,” Aregbesola said.
He urged members to strengthen the ADC’s grassroots base rather than waste energy attacking political rivals. According to him, both the APC and the PDP have lost direction and reduced themselves to power-seeking platforms.
“We must not repeat the mistakes of APC and PDP. Let us build a people-oriented party from scratch,” he declared.
Earlier, Abimbola Ogunkelu, a PDP Board of Trustees member, who led a delegation of defectors, said their move to the ADC marked the beginning of a new era of progressive politics. He noted that the coalition was determined to mobilise grassroots participation and provide Nigerians with trustworthy leadership.
Segun Osho, who led defectors from the Labour Party, also said their defection was motivated by the urgent need to rescue Nigeria from its current challenges.
ADC chieftain Kolawole Ogunwale urged members to demonstrate their commitment through action, stressing that words alone would not guarantee the party’s success.
Among the notable defectors were former Lagos PDP chairmen Muritala Ashorobi and Tunji Shelle; PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos Central), Tai Benedict; Niyi Adams; and a former PDP youth leader.
Lagos ADC chairman, George Ashiru, formally presented the party’s flag, logo, and statement of purpose to Ogunkelu and other new members, symbolising their integration into the party.
On Saturday, a former Lagos State PDP Chairman, Tunji Shelle, announced his resignation from the party and officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Shelle was received alongside other PDP stalwarts and some Labour Party members at an affirmation ceremony in Lagos, where he accused the PDP of being plagued by “gross indiscipline and endless crises.”
Among those who defected with Shelle were a former PDP Board of Trustees member, Abimbola Ogunkelu; another ex-state PDP Chairman, Muritala Ashorobi; PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos East), Tai Benedict; former Youth Leader, Niyi Adams; and ex-South West Secretary, Rahman Owokoniran.
They were formally welcomed into the ADC by the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, and other leaders.
Speaking on the reasons for his defection, Shelle said PDP leaders had failed to address what he described as the destabilising activities of some national figures. He specifically accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) while still claiming PDP membership.
“Wike cannot hijack the party, and the rest of us continue to look as if we are helpless or we are no human beings. I don’t take it. I don’t like being subjected to such ridicule. One man cannot say he is working for APC while on the other hand keeps holding PDP to ransom. I think the leaders are compromised,” Shelle said.
He declared that his defection, along with other top leaders, had further weakened the PDP in Lagos.
“PDP is now empty with all its leaders moving to ADC in Lagos,” he added.
The former Lagos PDP boss described the ADC as a party filled with “tested and trusted politicians” capable of challenging the ruling APC in 2027.
“There are no distractions in ADC. The party leaders are not people anyone can buy over. ADC has all it takes to save the situation in Nigeria and give the people the country of their dream,” Shelle stated.
He expressed confidence in the leadership of David Mark, the Interim Chairman, and Rauf Aregbesola, noting that both men had the capacity to steer the party to victory.
Other defectors echoed Shelle’s sentiments. Former South West PDP Secretary, Rahman Owokoniran, said: “PDP has lost track. PDP is gone, there is nothing there. ADC is the only opportunity to challenge the ruling APC.”
Similarly, PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos East), Tai Benedict, remarked that many more party members were set to dump the PDP.
“We are emptying PDP members in Lagos State into ADC. Others are on the way; they want to take their last supper before coming,”he said.
Former PDP Youth Leader, Niyi Adams, claimed that more than 5,000 members had already defected across the 20 local government areas of Lagos.
According to him, the defectors were determined to work “assiduously to ensure victory for ADC in the 2027 general elections,” stressing that he did not believe PDP could resolve its crises even after its planned national convention in November.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, for attempting to smuggle 1.3 kilograms of cocaine while posing as a pregnant woman.
Ezewuike, who runs a fashion outfit, Golden Star Creation, in the Okota area of Lagos, was apprehended at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, on Friday, August 22, 2025, while attempting to deliver the drug consignment to customers in Abuja.
A statement released by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said a follow-up operation at her residence in Ago Palace Way, Okota, led to the recovery of 200 grams of cutting agent used in processing cocaine.
Babafemi said in her statement to investigators, Ezewuike, a mother of one, claimed she inherited the drug trade from her late husband, who died two years ago, despite being in the fashion business for over 20 years.
“A 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over an attempt to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine, using fake pregnancy as a façade to escape scrutiny and detection.
“The widow who is a mother of one and proprietress of Golden Star Creation, a fashion outfit in Ago palace way, Okota, Lagos, was arrested at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba area of the state on Friday, 22nd August 2025, while attempting to move the cocaine consignment to customers in Abuja.
“A follow-up operation at her house in the Ago palace area led to the recovery of 200 grams of cutting agent used in the production of a strain of cocaine. In her statement, Ezewuike claimed she inherited the criminal trade from her husband, who died two years ago, while she has been in the fashion business for 20 years,” the statement partly read.
In related operations, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives intercepted 90 parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 48.6kg, concealed in three cartons of kitchen sinks imported from the United States.
He said the seizure was made at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 19
“Not less than 90 parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 48.6kg, imported from the United States of America and concealed in three cartons of kitchen sink were intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday, 19th August by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation,” Babafemi said.
In Adamawa, he said NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Friday, 22nd August, raided the home of a notorious drug dealer, Idris Garba, who scaled the fence to escape arrest while one of his associates, Boniface Nnaji, 55, who attempted the same, was caught in the act at Rumde Baru area of Yola South.
“Recovered from the premises include a black Toyota Thundra jeep marked FST-885-CZ driven to Yola by Nnaji to supply Garba 354,480 pills of tramadol 225mg, 250mg and others as well as a Toyota Yaris car with registration number DSA 776 AA”, he added.
In Kano, Babafemi said the duo of Buhari Ibrahim, 25, and Mansur Musa, 24, were nabbed at Zangon Ungogo, with 5,850 capsules of pregabaline on Tuesday, 19th August, while a total of 452,070 pills of opioids were recovered from the home of a suspect Rabilu Mukhtar, who is at large, at Rangaza, Ungogo LGA, just as Buhari Idris, 35, was arrested at Tashan Rami area of the state with 140 litres of codeine syrup, both on the same Tuesday.
“Fewer than 7,000 capsules of tramadol were seized from Adamu Yusuf, 29, along Zaria-Kano road, Kwanar Dangora area of the state on Saturday, 23rd August”, he added.
In Abuja, he said two dispatch riders were arrested for distributing illicit substances.
According to the statement, similar crackdowns were recorded in Taraba, Edo, Delta, Ondo, and Ekiti states, where NDLEA teams destroyed large cannabis farms and warehouses.