ADC chieftain and former minister of sports, Solomon Dalung, has said he is not satisfied with the reasons Peter Obi gave for leaving the African Democratic Congress, given the hardship Nigerians are facing.
Speaking on Mic on Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Dalung made this statement while responding to questions on how the ADC produced Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate and is preparing for the election once INEC rolls out the timetable.
He confirmed he remains a member of the ADC despite the controversies around the primaries, arguing that such issues were expected when the coalition started.
He said the pledge on day one was that the coalition would not be about individuals but about the country, yet many who took that oath have broken their vow by pursuing personal ambition, and that is what has destabilized the coalition.
He said the coalition is not dead, but it is no longer as formidable as it was. He explained that those who left still left their supporters behind, and the ADC remains a beneficiary of the coalition.
He admitted he is not proud of the primaries that produced Atiku Abubakar, saying the process fell below his expectations. He noted that as an electoral officer, he witnessed issues and believes that after 26 to 27 years of democracy, Nigeria should have outgrown rigging of primaries and falsification of results.
Dalung said he had supported zoning the presidency to the South and thought anyone from the South could emerge as the presidential candidate, though he recognized Atiku’s strength in the ADC.
In his words, “Using the word disappointment will be very harsh, but I’m not satisfied with whatever reasons he advanced to leave the ADC in view of what Nigerians are going through. Because for me those who are presenting themselves as presidential candidates are not better than us.”
“We also sacrifice our own personal ambition to support. So why won’t people be selfless enough to support? Let us get out of this situation before we redefine our situation.”
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