From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Executive Community (NEC) has ratified former Senate president, David Mark, former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola and former Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi as interim national chairman, national secretary and spokesman respectively.
The trio, who were appointed as interim leaders of ADC, following the unveiling of the party, on July 2, by a coalition of opposition politicians led by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, as their preferred platform for the 2027 general elections, are part of a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the party, pending the conduct of a national convention.
Other members of the caretaker committee include include former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, who will serve as one of the six deputy national chairmen; former military governor of defunct Bendel State, Tunde Ogbeha, national vice chairman, North Central and former Edo State governor, Osarhiemen Osunbor, national legal adviser amongst others.
The ratification followed the adoption of motion by the immediate past national organising secretary, Ibrahim Suleiman, “for the dissolution of the NWC and the appointment of a caretaker committee, following the resignation of the NWC with immediate effect, pending the conduct of a national Convention.”
Mark, in his speech, shortly after the swearing in of the ADC Caretaker Committee, invited all Nigerians to join the party. He said this is because the opposition party is the only party that “guarantees equal opportunity to everyone regardless of age, gender, religion or region. Our handshake is across all divides.”
The ADC chairman, who said the party will have zero tolerance for anti-party activities and indiscipline, promised to lead with integrity and transparency.
“I assure you that under my leadership, we shall be committed to full democratic practices and principles that abhor imposition and special privileges. Internal democracy, transparency and accountability will be our mantra.
“We will guarantee collective leadership at all levels. We will build a technically competent bureaucracy for the party and ensure structured financing. All members will truly own the party.
“We will be fair and just to all party members. We promise to be totally transparent. ADC will have zero tolerance for anti-party and other forms of indiscipline.We shall revamp our grassroots leadership structures to reflect modern realities. From the polling units, wards up to the national level, every organ will be re-energized.
“We will open the gates for the next generation. Our policies, nominations, and leadership roles will reflect meaningful inclusion of youths and women and not just tokenism. This is why we have reserved 35% of our leadership positions for women.”
It is also our commitment to have youths below the age of 40 years in our leadership.
“We shall clearly articulate what we stand for. Nigerians must know us as a party driven by unblemished ideology, progressive policies, and patriotic governance. We will not leave it to the discretion of individual candidate to choose what to do with power.”
Earlier, former ADC national chairman, Chief Okey Nwosu, in his address at the meeting, said the coalition of opposition politicians was a necessary step to save the country’s democracy.
Nwosu explained that since the unveiling of the ADC as the “coalition party” for 2027, the membership of the party has increased, noting that the move stopped the country’s march to a one-party state.
“What happened on the second of this month, second of July, where we consolidated what we were working on, the coalitions of various groups into ADC; resurrected democracy again. Therefore our democracy is on the move again, and nobody can stop it.
“Today, your party has over 100 and something elected persons already, even without an election, about 28 senators and 46 House of Rep members. The number of state House of Assembly members we have is difficult to count but they are almost over 50.
“We have taken the step so that Nigerian democracy will be on the track again; instead of one party, one individual wanting to create fascism, convert Nigeria to one state, to one party, state. It was only the ADC that said no, our party. ADC said no, and Nigerians took part to embrace us for saying no, that we must have an opposition party, another party in force,” he stated.
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