- * Expels Asiwaju Bola Tinubu From Membership Of The Group
Vows To Challenge Election Process And Persuade International Community To Reject Poll Results
Moves To Get US Govt Not To Recognize Tinubu As Nigeria's President-elect
By Desmond Ukandu (Politics Editor)
Twenty Nine (29) year old Nigeria's foremost pro-democracy organization, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), was at the weekend, resurrected in Washington D.C, capital of the United States of America (USA).
NADECO, is one of Nigeria's premier and foremost Pro-Democracy advocacy group based in Washington D.C. NADECO started as a coalition of different micro pro-democracy groups, prominent among which is the Committee for Unity and Understanding (CUU).
NADECO was formed in May, during the spring season of 1994, about year after the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the June 12, 1993 Presidential election results presumably won by billionaire publisher of defunct Concord Newspapers, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. At that time, NADECO had two major arms: NADECO Nigeria and NADECO London and USA.
The group was formally registered in 1995 by a group of Nigerians that went into exile in USA and United Kingdom to escape the wrath and persecution of the then military dictatorship of the former Head of State, General Sani Abacha. NADECO has been in existence since then, although a bit dormant after the dawn of Nigeria's current democracy in 1999.
Eminent Nigerian statesmen and politicians who formed the group were: Nigeria's former Vice President in the second republic, Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme who also later led the famous G-34 group that finally toppled the military government in 1998/1999; Pa Anthony Enahoro, a former Minister of Information in the First Republic; renowned Afenifere leaders and former governor of old Ondo State, Pa Adekunle Ajasin and Chief Abraham Adesanya.
Others included elderstateman and former President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide and a second republic parliamentarian, Chief Ralph Obioha (Okpuruisi); former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Christian Onoh; another former President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo and former Nigerian Envoy, Chief Ralph Uwechue; Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Nigeria's former Ambassador, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman and notable South East political activist, Chief Bobo Nwosisi, who died in London while in the NADECO struggle.
Among the NADECO members at the time were: Pa Ayo Adebanjo, current leader of Afenifere and a strong supporter of the presumed winner of the February 25, 2023 Presidential Poll and Labour Party candidate, Mr Peter Obi, as well as former military governor of Lagos and Imo states, Rear Admiral Ndubisi Kanu. Others included former governor of Edo State and ex-National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun; Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye and renowned literary writer, Chief Cyprain Ekwensi.
NADECO also had in it's membership Senator (Dr) Wahab Dosumu; radical writer and renowned member of Zikist movement, Chief Mokwugo Okoye; former deputy governor of Lagos State in the first tenure of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Administration, Chief (Mrs) Kofo Bucknor-Akerele; General Alani Akintunde; Nigeria's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi; slain elderstateman and an Itsekiri High Chief, Pa Alfred Rewane; erudite book publisher, Dr Arthur Aguncha Nwankwo; Afenifere leader, Chief Ganiyu Dawodu; former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chief Dubem Onyia and foremost Igbo intellectual and brilliant scholar, Professor Udenta Udenta.
There are former Nigeria's Senate President and the Oyi of Oyi, Senator (Dr) Chuba Okadigbo; Ojeluigbo Chief Ben Obi; former Secretary to the Military Government and ex-presidential candidate of the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999, Chief Olu Falaye; former Anambra state governor, Okwadike (Dr) Chukwuemeka Ezeife; former governor of old Imo State, Dee Chief Sam Onunaka Mbakwe; Rivers State Oil Magnate, Chief Lulu Briggs; Chief Ayo Opadokun; Mallam Lawal Danbazzau; former military governor of old Western Region, General Adeyinka Adebayo; former governor of Ogun State and ex-Managing Director of the old Daily Times Newspaper Group, Chief Olusegun Osoba; eminent board room guru, Professor Anya O. Anya and a former military governor of old Gongola State, Col. Yohanna Madaki.
NADECO equally had influential members like: Reverend Father Moses Adasu, a former governor of Benue state; radical civil rights activist, Dr Beko Ransome Kuti; Reverend Tunji Odebiyi; Chief Ade Ojo; Chief Empire Kanu; Chief Michael Anyim; Dr Sola Soile; Dr (Mrs) Sarah Jubril; former Corp Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corp, Vice Admiral Akin Aduwo; Alhaji Mohammed Siraj Hamza; Otunba Aboyade Cole; Chief Sobo Sowemimo and General Olufemi Olutoye.
NADECO also boasts of eminent members like Afenifere leader, Pa Olanihun Ajayi; former governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang; former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Chief Alao Aka Bashorun; renowned Economist, Dr Uma Eleazu; Chief Vincent Nwizugbo; Dr Steve Achema and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who was declared winner of the February 25th presidential poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a flawed election process described by both local and international observers as the worst election since the dawn of Nigeria's current democracy in 1999.
Announcing the return of NADECO to the Nigeria's political space for another democratic struggle twenty nine (29) years after it was formed, Mr Lloyd Ukwu, the Executive Director of NADECO USA and the General Counsel of the group, said in a statement on Sunday March 5, 2023, from his base in USA, that the coalition group is back now "to tackle the very same issues for which it was created after the June 12, 1993". Ironically, he said, the APC Presidential flagbear, Bola Tinubu, was one of the founders of NADECO in Nigeria and later in the USA. NADECO USA currently enjoys USA IRS tax-exempt status.
Ukwu however said in the group's statement that NADECO USA rising from a meeting on Saturday night, settled for a set of actions which includes holding an International Press Conference on Nigeria. "This mega conference is scheduled for next week Wednesday at the prestigious National Press Club in Washington, D.C".
He also said that All the major News outlets will be invited by the Club for a fee. "We intend to hand out Press Kits containing among other things a synoptic 10-minute Video highlighting the major flaws in the process just concluded.
"Nadeco will at the conference formally sever its relationship with Tinubu as a former founding member of both NADECO (Nigeria) and NADECO (USA) for his participation in the worst electoral fraud in Nigerian recent history".
Pointing out that the NADECO group is a national pro-democracy organization and not a partisan one, LIoyd Ukwu stressed that, "We are not representing LP, PDP, etc. We are representing the Nigerian masses, period !!! We are specifically challenging the process for the court of international community opinion to condemn the process.
"Remember that NADECO fought Abacha as the Military Dictator who scuttled the will of the Nigerian people in 1993. Exactly 30 years later, in 2023, NADECO is fighting the same dictatorship but only this time a much more dangerous civilian dictatorship, mostly perpetuated by one of those who were in the trenches to fight Abacha. NADECO will not look the other way simply because the fraud was perpetrated by one of its founding members.
"After the conference, we intend to approach the US Congress to commence the introduction of a non-binding Resolution calling on the US administration not to recognize the product of the election (Bola Tinubu). It is the product of a poisonous tree. This same type of resolution was introduced by former Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin during the Yar'Adua election.
"Yaradua agreed, as a compromise in order to withdraw the resolution, to openly admit that the election that brought him was flawed. You will recall that he did say so in his national broadcast to Nigerians.
"Nadeco shall further call on the international community to support the empaneling of a team of internationally acclaimed technical experts to interrogate the INEC serves, and BVAS, etc,to extract the original votes".
The group however urged other patriotic pro-democracy Nigerians who wish to work or interface with it as NADECO point man to obtain the key points for their press conference. "Therefore, if this project tickles your interest, please call on: 2027515224 or email NADECO at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ". NNL.
