Ahead of the 2027 general elections, concerned members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Enugu State have strongly disowned former Governor of the state, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, and his alleged collaborators over a purported zoning arrangement and endorsement said to favour the re-election of Governor Peter Mba of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The ADC members, drawn from the three senatorial zones of Enugu State, distanced themselves from the endorsement reportedly made at a meeting held at Dr. Nwodo’s Enugu residence, which was said to involve Professor Barth Nnaji and the 2023 Labour Party (LP) deputy governorship candidate in the state, Mr. John Nwokeabia.

Their reaction followed closely on the heels of Dr. Nwodo’s recent public endorsement of Governor Mba during an interview on Arise Television, a development they described as misleading and incompatible with ADC’s political stance in Enugu State.

In a press statement circulated to the media on Sunday, the concerned ADC members insisted that Dr. Nwodo and those linked to the meeting cannot be regarded as leaders or members of the ADC until they formally resign from their respective political parties and openly align with the ADC.

The statement was jointly signed by Idoko Festus (Enugu North Senatorial District), Hon. Emeka Okoh (Enugu West), and Chief Ogbodo Nwagu (Enugu East).

The group challenged Dr. Nwodo to clearly declare his political allegiance, accusing him of playing a double role by allegedly working for the APC in Enugu State while presenting himself as an ADC figure at the national level.

They further aligned with the position earlier taken by an Nsukka-based socio-cultural organisation, Bridge Consortium, which had warned that such “double standards” could weaken the ADC at its grassroots.

“Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Professor Barth Nnaji and John Nwokeabia cannot be called leaders of ADC in Enugu State until they resign from their parties. Others who joined ADC did so after officially resigning from their former parties,” the statement read in part.

The ADC members cited several individuals who, according to them, had formally resigned from their former parties to join the ADC, stressing that the same standard must apply to Dr. Nwodo and his associates.

They also rejected in strong terms any zoning arrangement allegedly being promoted by Dr. Nwodo, describing it as an attempt to favour the current APC-led government in the state.

“Nwodo is supporting Mba and pretending to be part of ADC. What else is double standard? He cannot be part of APC and be deciding for ADC where to zone offices,” the statement added.

The group further alleged that members of Dr. Nwodo’s immediate family are serving in the APC-led government in Enugu State, a situation they said further calls into question his credibility to influence ADC decisions.

On the issue of zoning, the concerned members said they would only recognise directives from the party’s duly recognised national officers from the state—Kenneth Okonkwo, Esq., a member of the ADC National Working Committee (NWC), and Hon. Fidel Ayogu.

“We will wait for the two national officers to issue a directive on zoning. We will not listen to any mole,” the statement concluded.

The development underscores growing internal tensions within the ADC in Enugu State as political alignments and permutations ahead of the 2027 elections begin to take shape.