Yemi Adamolekun, a civil society leader and former executive director of Enough is Enough (EiE), has openly separated herself from the newly formed Wise Men and Women Policy and Manifesto Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and questioned why her identities were revealed without their permission.
After receiving agreement from its National Working Committee and the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, the ADC announced a 50-person policy and manifesto committee on Wednesday.
The project, according to the party, aims to create “a credible, people-centered, and forward-looking policy framework for national governance.”
Adamolekun, however, took to the social media site shortly after the announcement on X (previously Twitter) to denounce the inclusion of her name, claiming she had neither joined the party nor consented to serve on the committee.
“ADC! ADC! ADC! How many times did I give you a call? This is not the way to establish credibility! Tell me when I joined your party, please! “Na wa,” she wrote.
Prof. Remi Sonaiya, a previous KOWA Party presidential candidate, echoed her response in the comment area, stating that she was also taken aback to find her name on the list.
Sonaiya wrote, “I was shocked to see my name too.”
Although it has been asserted that not every person on the list is an ADC member, the approval of the nominees ought to have been obtained prior to the publication of their names. #GoodGovernance #Credibility,” she continued.
Questions concerning the ADC’s nomination and screening procedures were raised in a public discussion between the party and Adamolekun as a result of the development.
In response, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, stated that politicians and party members were not the only people who may join the committee.
He claims that in order to reinforce its policy direction, the party purposefully sought advice from technocrats and non-political individuals.
It is crucial to note that not every member of the ADC is on the Policy and Manifesto Committee. Abdullahi wrote, “Many are not even politicians.”
“This is because the ADC feels that politicians shouldn’t be the only ones tasked with creating practical public policies for the benefit of all Nigerians.”
He continued by saying that the party had conducted a screening procedure and insisted that nominees were notified prior to their names being made public.
Abdullahi expressed hope that Adamolekun would reconsider “because of her vast experience—even though she is not a member of our party,” adding, “During our vetting process, we took all necessary measures to ensure that everyone recommended to serve on this important committee was duly notified and had given their consent.”
But Adamolekun strongly refused to join the committee, rejecting the justification.
“I’ll respond here since you want to engage me here without the courtesy of a call to apologize for this gross oversight,” she said. No, I’m not interested in sitting on a committee when a straightforward screening procedure is difficult and nobody is accepting accountability for mistakes. “Blessings!”
