The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has officially appointed former Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Alhaji Rahman Owokoniran, as its South-West Zonal Chairman.
The inauguration and swearing-in ceremony, carried out with the approval of the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, also marked the formal induction of Owokoniran’s zonal executive committee.
In a statement issued to journalists, ADC chieftain Coker Onita dismissed reports suggesting internal crisis within the party in the South-West, describing such claims as unfounded and misleading.
Onita clarified that Owokoniran was duly sworn in by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Dr Bamidele Ajadi, the highest-ranking national officer from the region, acting with the full backing of Senator David Mark and the ADC’s national leadership.
The party further refuted allegations that the South-West leadership had been disowned by the national body, insisting that the reports were false and deliberately designed to misinform party members and the general public.
According to Onita, individuals linked to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are allegedly behind attempts to destabilise the ADC in the region through the spread of misinformation, a move he attributed to the party’s growing popularity in the South-West.
He also discredited a publication allegedly issued by a group calling itself the “ADC Lagos State Stakeholders Forum,” describing it as the work of an unidentified and faceless group bent on undermining the party. Onita labelled members of the group as “fifth columnists.”
He emphasised that in a democratic party, anonymous accusations amount to subversion rather than accountability, urging anyone claiming to represent the ADC to openly identify themselves and state their mandates.
The ADC reiterated that while it remains open to constructive criticism and lawful engagement, it would firmly oppose any infiltration or misinformation aimed at weakening its leadership.
The statement concluded by affirming the party’s unity and commitment to offering Nigerians a credible political alternative, stressing that the South-West leadership under Owokoniran is legitimate, recognised, and fully supported by the party’s national leadership.