2027: ADC vows to fight against imposition as Lukman raises concerns
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vowed to stamp out the imposition of candidates and uphold internal democracy amid growing concerns from within its ranks about emerging tendencies of godfatherism and manipulation. At its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, the party’s Interim National Chairman and […]
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vowed to stamp out the imposition of candidates and uphold internal democracy amid growing concerns from within its ranks about emerging tendencies of godfatherism and manipulation.
At its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, the party’s Interim National Chairman and former Senate President, David Mark, declared that the ADC under his leadership would not tolerate imposition, special privileges, or anti-democratic practices. Mark, who recently resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to lead the ADC, said the gathering marked the dawn of a new chapter for the party. “We shall be committed to full democratic practices and principles that abhor imposition. Internal democracy, transparency, and accountability will be our mantra,” he said.
He added that the party would build a technically competent bureaucracy, guarantee collective leadership at all levels, and implement structured financing mechanisms to ensure every member truly owns the party.
His assurance comes on the heels of the concern raised by Salihu Mohammed Lukman, a prominent figure in the opposition coalition and former national vice chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who issued a stern warning to the ADC leadership against allowing the emergence of political godfathers.
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In a statement titled “ADC and the Prospect of Internal Democracy,” Lukman alleged that some ADC leaders had begun behaving as though the 2027 elections were already won, promoting loyalists and manipulating internal structures to consolidate power.
“The negative tendencies of almost all our opposition political leaders are already at play,” said Lukman, who also served as Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF). “The disregard for criteria such as intellectual capacity, integrity, and broad-based acceptability is dangerous.” He cautioned that coalition leaders could soon become godfathers, imposing surrogates across all levels of the party. “This will naturally be followed by anointing preferred candidates for the 2027 elections,” he warned, describing it as the first major test of Senator Mark’s leadership.
To promote policy-driven politics, Mark announced that the ADC would soon unveil a 50-member policy committee to articulate its vision for Nigerians, covering health, education, agriculture, security, economy, infrastructure, and more.
“We will not leave it to the discretion of individual candidates to decide what to do with power,” he said.
He also pledged meaningful inclusion of youths and women, reserving 35 percent of leadership roles for women and committing to include Nigerians under 40 in key positions.
“Our policies and leadership must reflect modern realities, not tokenism,” Mark added. “We must build a party driven by unblemished ideology, progressive policies, and patriotic governance.”