September 28, (THEWILL) — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused state governors of diverting local government allocations, impoverishing Nigerians through excessive taxation, and undermining democracy.
The party’s former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, made the allegations at the ADC/National Coalition Alliance (NCA) Leadership Summit in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
Nwosu described Nigeria as being in “intensive care” due to corruption and tyranny but expressed confidence that the ADC-led coalition would “rescue” the country in 2027 through a leadership model anchored on selflessness, transparency, and service.
He alleged that governors were withholding federal allocations meant for grassroots development.
“Every month, each local government gets between ₦300m and ₦600m. Governors seize the funds, hand chairmen ₦5m or ₦10m, and pocket the rest. With 13 councils in Ebonyi alone, imagine the billions siphoned monthly. After that, they still tax barrow pushers. Terrible people. That must stop,” Nwosu said.
He accused the governors of abusing power and destroying democracy.
“You were given the opportunity by God to be governor, yet you use that power to suffocate democracy. Young people can’t aspire to be councillors unless they join cults. But a new leadership rooted in selflessness and service is emerging,” he said.
The former chairman also claimed he resisted huge inducements to abandon the coalition’s struggle.
“If I wanted billions or government positions, I could have collected. But I will not mortgage Nigeria’s future. Our movement is beyond politics—it is about pulling Nigeria from intensive care to prosperity,” he added.
Nwosu further condemned attempts to brand ADC members as terrorists to disrupt the summit, warning that the coalition would resist future intimidation.
The National Coordinator of the NCA, Dr. Sunday Andrew Opoke, urged Nigerians to vote out failed leaders in 2027.
“Our schools have collapsed; no minister or commissioner of education has a child in public schools. Our health system is in ruins. Infrastructure is gone. If we hired these leaders and they failed, it is time to fire them,” Opoke said.
He stressed the need for urgent electoral reforms and insisted that the coalition had the roadmap Nigeria needed.
The Ebonyi ADC chairman, Comrade Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor, described the harassment and arrest of party members before the summit as “an insult to democracy,” but vowed the party would contest strongly in 2027.
Similarly, the ADC National Financial Secretary, Hon. Muhammad Akibu Dahaltu, said intimidation had become the trademark of APC-led governments but noted that Nigerians were tired of failed promises.
“From Kebbi to Kaduna, APC has always used touts and security forces to frustrate us. But after Buhari’s eight years and this administration’s failures, who will vote APC again in 2027?” he asked.
Dahaltu added that only coalition politics could unseat the APC, praising leaders who had sacrificed for the cause.
Other speakers, including Ebonyi NCA Coordinator, Pastor Kenneth Oziomaeze, pledged to work for the coalition’s success.
The summit, which drew delegates nationwide, ended with a pledge to challenge APC dominance in 2027 and “rescue Nigeria from intensive care to full recovery.”
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
