Civil society leader and former executive director of Enough is Enough (EiE) Yemi Adamolekun has publicly distanced herself from the African Democratic Congress’ (ADC) newly constituted Wise Men and Women Policy and Manifesto Committee, questioning why her names was announced without their consent.

The ADC on Wednesday unveiled a 50-member policy and manifesto committee, following approval by its National Working Committee and the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark.

The party said the initiative was aimed at building “a credible, people-centred, and forward-looking policy framework for national governance.”

However, shortly after the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Adamolekun took to the social media platform to condemn the inclusion of her name, saying she neither joined the party nor agreed to serve on the committee.

“ADC! ADC!! ADC!!! How many times did I call you? This is not how to build credibility o!!! Please show me evidence of when I joined your party!! Na wa…,” she wrote.

Echoing her reaction in the comment section, former presidential candidate of the KOWA Party, Prof. Remi Sonaiya, said she was equally surprised to see her name on the list.

“I was surprised to see my name too,” Sonaiya wrote.

“While it’s been claimed that not all on the list are ADC members, the consent of nominees should have been sought before their names were published. #Credibility #GoodGovernance,” she added.

The development sparked a public exchange between the party and Adamolekun raising questions about the ADC’s nomination and vetting process.Responding, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said membership of the committee was not restricted to party members or politicians.

According to him, the party deliberately sought input from technocrats and non-political actors to strengthen its policy direction.

“It is important to point out that not everyone on the ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee is a member of the ADC. Many are not even politicians,” Abdullahi wrote.

“This is because the ADC believes that the task of developing workable public policies for the benefit of all Nigerians should not be left to politicians alone.”

He added that the party had carried out a vetting process and maintained that nominees were informed before their names were published.

“During our vetting process, we took all necessary measures to ensure that everyone recommended to serve on this important committee was duly notified and had given their consent,” Abdullahi said, expressing hope that Adamolekun would reconsider “because of her vast experience — even though she is not a member of our party.”

Adamolekun, however, rejected the explanation and firmly declined to serve on the committee.She said, “Since you want to engage me here without the courtesy of a call to apologise for this gross oversight, I’ll respond here. No, I’m not interested in serving on a Committee where a simple vetting process is complicated & no one is taking responsibility for the error. Blessings!” (Vanguard)