Nigerians are expressing worry over apparent loss of momentum by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) few months to the general elections. ADC was adopted by coalition leaders on July 2 as platform to oust President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

But with less than a month and three weeks to the commencement of party primaries for the nomination of candidates for next year’s general elections, ADC seems to still be struggling to put its house together. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had in the revised timetable for next year’s general elections, fixed party primaries for the purpose of electing candidates between April 23 and May 30 this year.

The Electoral Act, 2026, mandates political parties to submit their digital membership register to the commission not later than April 2. Again, this is less than three weeks away. ADC, which commenced nationwide hybrid membership registration (involving manual and electronic), on February 12, began total online membership registration on March 1,to enable it meet the requirements of the new Electoral Act 2026, regarding digital membership register.

The expectations Nigerians had on the ADC to rise to the occasion to challenge the ruling APC appears to be waning. The party has not shown much prospects in the elections it contested so far. ADC candidate in last November Anambra State governorship election, John Chuma Nwosu, got a paltry 8,208 votes in the election, which was won by the incumbent, Prof. Chuwkuma Soludo of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

ADC’s National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, attributed the party’s poor performance to the timing of the election and the ADC’s level of preparedness. “For us, the election happened less than a month after we came into the party. Most of the candidates, we didn’t even know, and that’s why we said we cannot judge the ADC by that,” he explained.

Again, the party failed to win any of the six chairmanship positions in the February 21 Abuja Area Council elections. Even the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite its many challenges, won in Gwagwalada Area Council. Abdullahi denied that there was loss of momentum, adding, “how can you say there is loss of momentum when we just won our court case yesterday (Friday)?

We are doing our membership registration.” ADC won a major victory with the dismissal of the suit challenging David Mark-led leadership by former presidential candidate of the party, Dumebi Kachikwu. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of Federal High Court, Abuja, in her judgement, said the leadership and membership of a political party are nonjusticiable.