2027: We have words, courts, laws as weapons — ADC
By Luminous Jannamike
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Monday vowed to resist alleged intimidation and attempts to frustrate its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election, declaring that it would deploy the courts, laws and its voice rather than violence.
With campaigns gathering momentum, the opposition party said its candidates must be prepared to confront provocations through lawful means while keeping their own campaigns free of hate speech, ethnic and religious profiling and political violence.
Briefing journalists after a consultation meeting with the party’s governorship candidates from across the country in Abuja, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the meeting was convened not only to prepare the candidates for the general election but also to address divisions arising from the party’s primaries.
Responding to concerns that ADC candidates could face attacks on their campaign trains, destruction of billboards or attempts to stop them from campaigning in some states, Abdullahi said the party would not retaliate with violence, insisting that it would resist such moves through lawful means.
“We have words that we will use as weapons. We have courts that we use as weapons. We have laws that we use as weapons, and we will fight it because we are democrats,” he said.
Reconciliation committee coming
Abdullahi said the party would soon constitute a National Reconciliation Committee to resolve post-primary grievances and rebuild relationships among members ahead of the general election.
He urged the governorship candidates to close ranks with those who contested against them during the primaries, stressing that the party needed to go into the election as a united force.
ADC puts subsidy at heart of campaign
Beyond reconciliation, Abdullahi said the meeting also focused on the party’s national campaign agenda, particularly its promise to restore fuel subsidy as part of measures to reduce the cost of living.
He said the candidates had been directed to make the issue a major plank of their campaigns, adding that the party would provide them with details of how it intended to implement the policy.
According to him, the proposal was one of the issues expected to distinguish ADC from other political parties and form a central part of its message to voters.
’We won’t answer violence with violence’
But while urging its candidates to take the party’s message to voters, Abdullahi acknowledged that they could face resistance in some states, including attacks on campaign trains, destruction of billboards and attempts to prevent them from campaigning.
He said the party was no stranger to adversity, but insisted that such provocations would not push ADC into retaliation.
“Violence is not the ADC way. Whenever we are confronted with any form of provocation, we will resist it and we will challenge it within legal means,” he said.
The party, he added, was also compiling alleged cases of what it described as ‘political terrorism’ involving members of the ruling party, including reported threats against voters who refused to support the APC.
“We are compiling the list of this kind of cases, and we are going to make it open. We are going to challenge them,” he stated.
Abdullahi also alleged that exorbitant charges imposed for opposition billboards in some states were aimed at shutting the party out of the communication space.
He said ADC would resist such restrictions through the courts and existing laws, rather than allow itself to be pushed into confrontation.
ADC warns own candidates
While drawing a line between lawful resistance and political violence, Abdullahi said the party’s rules would apply equally to its own candidates.
He said ADC would not shield any candidate found violating its prohibition against political violence or other forms of misconduct, stressing that the party was being built with the capacity to enforce discipline among its members.
“What we have emphasised from the start is that we are building a party that is able to impose its authority on its own candidates,” he said.
No substitution complaint, party says
On reports of possible substitution of validly nominated candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Abdullahi said no candidate had complained to the party about being replaced.
He said ADC had records of the candidates submitted to INEC, while the electoral commission also had acknowledgements of the submissions.
“If at any point it’s brought to our notice that any candidate is swapped, we will deal with it administratively,” he said.
Mark warns against hate speech
Earlier at the meeting, National Chairman of the party, Senator David Mark, charged the governorship candidates to run issue-based campaigns and avoid empty promises, warning that pledges made without the intention to fulfil them could damage the integrity of the party.
Mark also urged the candidates to familiarise themselves with the ADC’s Governance and Ethical Principles contained in its ‘Orange Book’, as well as the party’s manifesto.
“We are ADC. Our campaign must reflect the kind of country that we would like to build. Avoid hate speech, ethnic or religious profiling. We cannot be associated with violence in whatever form,” he said.
The candidates expressed appreciation to the party for giving them the platform to contest the 2027 election and pledged their loyalty, promising to make the party proud by winning their respective elections.
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