The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Enugu State, Ocho Obodoeze, has assured party members that his name will be on the ballot in the 2027 governorship election, dismissing reports that he had withdrawn from the race to support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Uche Nnaji.

Obodoeze gave the assurance at an emergency State Executive Council meeting of the party in Enugu, where he urged party leaders and members to remain united and intensify mobilisation ahead of the election.

He said the names of all ADC candidates in the state had been uploaded to the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the party’s national leadership, insisting that the necessary constitutional and legal requirements for their participation had been met.

The governorship candidate, who is from Aku in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu North Senatorial District, urged party members not to be distracted by reports concerning his candidacy.

He called on the state executive and other party members to take the campaign to the grassroots and mobilise voters across the state for the ADC.

The party’s caretaker chairman, Chris Eze, a retired general, also urged members to remain united and work towards securing victory for the ADC in 2027. The caretaker secretary, Adolphus Ude, urged party leaders to focus on building effective structures at polling units, saying the party needed trusted representatives across the state to protect its interests during the election.

The Director-General of the Obodoeze Campaign Council, Walter Oji, called for the establishment of door-to-door canvassing teams across wards to strengthen the party’s grassroots mobilisation.

The ADC, in a statement issued after the meeting, specifically denied reports that Obodoeze had lost his candidacy and was backing the PDP’s Nnaji. The party described the reports as “mischievous and deceitful”, maintaining that its national chairman had uploaded the names of its governorship and House of Assembly candidates in Enugu State to the INEC portal in accordance with the Electoral Act.

“The propaganda that the name of the ADC candidate, Ocho Obodoeze, is not in INEC and that he is supporting the PDP candidate, Uche Nnaji, is a blatant lie,” the party said.

The ADC cited a recent Court of Appeal ruling in Abuja concerning a dispute over the PDP’s candidate in Osun State, arguing that the decision affirmed the legal rights of political parties in the submission of candidates to INEC.

The party said the INEC portal is an administrative platform and not a constitutional requirement, insisting that it had fulfilled the legal requirements for the nomination of its candidates. It further alleged that the reports concerning Obodoeze were being circulated because of what it described as the growing popularity of the ADC in Enugu State. The party said it would remain focused on its campaign and efforts to defeat the ruling party in the state in the 2027 election. (The Sun)