ADC Blasts Governors Over LG Funds
From Ugonma Ewa
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused state governors of crippling grassroots governance by hijacking local government allocations, subjecting citizens to excessive taxation, and stifling democracy.
Speaking in Abakaliki during a leadership summit jointly organized by the ADC and the National Coalition Alliance (NCA), the party’s former national chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, said Nigeria was currently on “life support” due to corruption and tyranny. He pledged that the coalition would “rescue” the country in 2027 through leadership built on transparency, stewardship, and service.
Nwosu alleged that governors routinely seize billions of naira meant for local councils, leaving chairmen with paltry sums.
“Each council gets between ₦300 million and ₦600 million monthly, but governors take the funds, hand over just ₦5m or ₦10m, and pocket the rest. Ebonyi alone has 13 councils imagine the billions looted every month. Yet they still tax even wheelbarrow pushers. This wickedness must stop,” he charged.
He accused state leaders of abusing the mandate given to them by the people.
“God gave you the chance to be governor, but you now use that power to suffocate democracy. You don’t want young people to contest even councillorship unless they join cults. A new leadership is rising, and it is anchored on selflessness and service,” he stressed.
The ADC chieftain said he rejected financial inducements to abandon the coalition, declaring that the movement was about saving Nigeria’s future, not personal gain. He also condemned attempts to frustrate the summit by tagging ADC members “terrorists.”
“If they try to stop us again, we will mobilize enough men to chase them out of government houses. This tyranny cannot stand,” he warned.
Also speaking, NCA National Coordinator, Dr. Sunday Andrew Opoke, urged Nigerians to vote out failed leaders in 2027. He said the education, health, and infrastructure sectors had collapsed because those in power lacked vision.
“Governance requires a roadmap. Without direction, speed is useless. ADC and NCA are providing that roadmap to lift Nigeria out of darkness,” Opoke said, calling for urgent electoral reforms.
Ebonyi ADC chairperson, Comrade Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor, condemned the harassment of members before the summit, describing it as an attack on democracy. She reaffirmed the party’s readiness to contest strongly in 2027, boasting of its structures across the 13 LGAs and 171 wards in the state.
ADC National Financial Secretary, Hon. Muhammad Akibu Dahaltu, accused the APC of repeatedly using intimidation against the opposition but insisted Nigerians had lost faith in the ruling party.
“After Buhari’s eight wasted years and the current failures, who in his right senses will vote APC again in 2027?” he asked, emphasizing coalition politics as the only path to unseat the ruling party.
The summit, which drew delegates from across the country, ended with a pledge to challenge APC dominance and lead Nigeria’s recovery from what party leaders described as “life support to full health.”
