The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ebonyi State chapter, has disowned reports purporting the emergence of Prof. Ernest Uchenna Ereke as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election, insisting that no replacement primary producing him was authorised or recognised by the leadership led by Dr Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor.
The party, in a statement jointly signed by Adibe-Nwafor, State Chairman, and Hon. Mgboroko Chukwudi, State Secretary, on Wednesday, said the purported replacement primary allegedly conducted across the state was not organised under its recognised state executive committee and should not be regarded as an official ADC exercise.
The development followed reports circulating on social media platforms on Wednesday claiming that Ereke had emerged from a purported “replacement primary election” conducted in Ebonyi State.
The Adibe-Nwafor-led leadership described the report as false and misleading, maintaining that the party had an established process for the nomination of candidates and that any primary, substitution or replacement exercise must be authorised by the appropriate party organs and conducted in accordance with the party constitution and applicable electoral requirements.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no replacement governorship primary election producing Prof. Ernest Uchenna Ereke was authorised, conducted or recognised by the Dr Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor-led State Executive Committee of the ADC in Ebonyi State,” the statement said.
The leadership further maintained that the purported exercise did not emanate from the recognised state structure and therefore could not be presented to party members, the media or the electorate as an official ADC governorship primary.
The party consequently reaffirmed Tobias Nnabuike Oriji as the governorship candidate produced through the primary process recognised by the Adibe-Nwafor-led structure.
Oriji had previously been reported to have emerged as the ADC governorship candidate following a consensus arrangement during the party's governorship primary conducted across Ebonyi's 171 wards in May.
The ADC leadership said the circulation of Ereke's name on social media did not, by itself, confer party legitimacy on the purported nomination.
It urged journalists, political stakeholders and members of the public to exercise caution in reporting or circulating unverified claims concerning the party's candidates.
“Social media circulation does not confer legitimacy on a political primary, nor does a purported announcement automatically translate into a recognised party nomination,” the statement said.
The party also warned against the unauthorised use of its name, logo, structure and platform, saying such actions could mislead the electorate and create unnecessary confusion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It further called on Ereke and those promoting the purported exercise to desist from presenting the alleged nomination as an official act of the ADC pending clarification or directives from the appropriate party authorities.
The leadership said it remained committed to internal democracy, due process, transparency and adherence to the party's constitution and relevant electoral laws.
It added that official communications from the recognised party leadership should be relied upon for information concerning ADC nominations, primaries and candidates.
The party therefore urged members and supporters to disregard the report of Ereke's purported emergence as its Ebonyi governorship candidate and remain focused on preparations for the 2027 elections.
The latest development comes against the backdrop of an already reported leadership dispute within the Ebonyi ADC, with rival groups previously making competing claims over the recognised state party structure.
