…says Nigerians will take back their country in 2027

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared that no force could stop the party’s rise, insisting that it has become the main opposition force determined to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The declaration was contained in the party’s Secretariat’s report presented at the 8th ADC National Convention in Abuja, where the party also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately refusing to monitor its convention.

In the report, the party said its emergence and growth were driven by Nigerians who were frustrated with what it described as poor governance, economic hardship and democratic backsliding under the current administration.

The report reads: “The ADC is unstoppable, as no power can stop the sun from rising.”

It stressed that its existence was not dependent on any individual, institution or political interest group.

“The ADC does not and will never owe its existence to any individual or group, including an electoral body masquerading as a neutral umpire with its leadership raggedly robed in the attire of political partisanship.”

“The ADC derives its existence from the aspirations and will of the Nigerian people who are tired of the deceit and colossal mismanagement to which this country is being subjugated.”

The party also anchored its existence on constitutional provisions guaranteeing freedom of association, adding that it embarked on a national rescue mission aimed at removing the ruling party from power.

“We owe our existence to the Nigerian constitution, which declares that freedom of association, including that to form or belong to any political party, is guaranteed and is a fundamental right.

“We are here because the ADC is on a rescue mission to prise the country from the strangulating grasp of the ruling party.”

The party accused the APC-led government of weakening the country’s electoral laws, saying, “The APC is a party which has foisted on the country an electoral law that states forgery and making false claims in electoral documents, is no longer a punishable electoral offence. In other words, the ruling party is decriminalizing criminality.”

“We proclaim our existence because our country is worth all necessary sacrifices. We cannot allow kakistocracy in Nigeria. The government’s claim that the recent reduction in the exchange rate shows its mastery of.

“In truth, the exchange rate, which was about N700 to the dollar when this government assumed office in 2023, is now about N1,400. This amounts to a 100 per cent devaluation. In an import-dependent economy, this is devastating.”

The report also highlighted rising fuel prices and transportation costs saying, “The cost of a litre of fuel was before this administration, between N185-238 depending on the part of the country you were,  in; now it is about N1,400 per litre and still rising. Cost of transportation is now so prohibitive that it has become unrealistic for some workers to go to work.”

On electricity supply, the party said the government had failed to fulfil its promises.

It said, “The administration told Nigerians that if it does not solve the power problem by providing constant power supply, it should not be voted for a second term. Today, power supply is far worse with some parts of the country receiving an average of two hoof urs daily and, some being in darkness for a stretch of weeks and months.”

The ADC argued that the President should have stepped aside after failing to meet that pledge.

“Ordinarily, having made such a promise and failed woefully, an honest President should simply step down and not seek reelection.

“Rather, what we are witnessing is the most desperate attempt by a candidate in Nigerian electoral history to retain power at all costs, even if it,means bringing down the entire democratic system. We have the duty to stop scammers from retaining power.”

On education and poverty, the ADC said the country’s social indicators had worsened.

The report stated, “As for education, the number of out-of-school children which used to be 18.3 million, has lengthened to some 20 million,” adding that more children were being pushed into poverty due to neglect.

“Equally, far more children, due to neglect, are being railroaded into poverty and criminality. Today, 130 million Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor.”

“The country is in dire straits and we cannot allow this continued drift into hopelessness. This is why as was pointed out earlier, the ADC is on a rescue mission. On this, there is no time to spare.

“We call on all conscientious citizens to join us because a fence sitter in moments that require decisiveness is either a traitor or collaborator with those who seek to destroy the country.”

It said, “We have spent the last ten months consolidating our structures across the country and repositioning for the patriotic duty of providing leadership for our country by the grace of God in 2027.”