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By Myke Agunwa
As the 2027 general election inches closer, African Democratic Congress (ADC) has affirmed that it is the vehicle that will drive the much needed coalition that will oust President Bola Tinubu from the presidential villa.
The party, while acknowledging the commitment of its members since the party was registered, announced that it has removed all encumbrances that have hitherto hindered quality members and politicians from joining the party by a constitutional amendment.
The party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, Mani Ibrahim Ahmed in his address during the 98th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party that took place in Abuja on Thursday, expressed confidence that the journey to the presidential villa has kicked off on the right footing.
“I can categorically today, by the grace of God, inform you that the African Democratic Congress is the coalition party in Nigeria. What remains to be done is nothing other than dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. For us, this is a momentous occasion. This is a great opportunity for the party to evolve and accommodate all Nigerians.
“By this gesture, we are inviting every Nigerian that has the love of this country in their heart to join us in this new crusade to bring about an enduring democratic change in our country by coming into our party, the African Democratic Congress, which can easily be seen as the African Democratic Coalition.
“We will continue to remain committed to seeing to the development of our great nation, Nigeria, as a unified and indivisible country where every citizen has the right to live in every part of this country and pursue legitimate economic business,” Ahmed said.
The ADC elder lamented over the present hardship inflicted on the country by the regime of president Bola Tinubu. He said that more Nigerians have been pushed into the poverty threshold through the clueless policies of the present administration.
“There is no doubt that our country, Nigeria, is at a crossroads. We have watched over the years how things have gradually deteriorated to the extent that normal existence is becoming more and more difficult. Statistics have indicated that about 5 million Nigerians have been added to the list of poverty-stricken people in the world on an annual basis.
“Now, this is sad for a country that is richly endowed with enormous resources. There cannot be any other way to bring about change in the lives of our people that is better than providing good governance. And this governance can only happen when you have the right people playing their part in the political process.”
He said that ADC has over the years shown commitment to upholding equity and justice in its operations, adding that though it has not been privildged to take over the administration of the country, it is even more ready to deliver good governance to the populace. He said that the party is building consensus and bringing everyone on board, including the civil space, to ensure that the journey to the villa is achieved.
“ADC has, over the years, remained a formidable platform in the process of reengineering Nigeria. Within the past 20 years of our existence, we have shown commitment to national growth. We have exhibited the highest level of nationalism and patriotism. And we have made several sacrifices to ensure that we bequeath to our next generation a country better than the one we have met. Unfortunately, the party never had the opportunity to be in the driver’s seat. But things are changing, and we see the opportunity showing its face now.
“The journey that created this opportunity started a very long time ago. And we have had several meetings as a party in order to open up the party, re-engineer our processes, and be able to accommodate the teeming members of the political class that are willing and have lined up to join our great party, the African Democratic Congress. Within these months that we are discussing, the party has gone through lots of transformational phases, part of which has resulted in what we are going to actualize today, which is the final phase of the opening up of our party to accommodate the new people that are coming in.
“We know that politicians on their own can do very little, and as such, in this process and this journey, we have also involved the civil society organizations as well as grassroots organizations, because ADC strongly believes that all politics is grassroots politics. And we are happy that most of our grassroots and civil society partners are here with us, and they’ve been part of this journey, and they have exhibited great commitment and resilience over the months.
“And that has certainly reassured me that the objective is very much achievable. We are building consensus. This consensus building, though very painstaking, has taken some time.”
The NEC was attended by the representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Civil Society, Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) National and State Working Committee members, and teeming party supporters.