The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged the public not to evaluate the party based on its recent performance in the August by-elections, where it failed to secure any seats.
Held on August 16 to fill vacancies left by deaths or resignations following the 2023 elections, the by-elections saw the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declare the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of 12 out of 16 seats. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won two seats in Anambra, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party each secured one seat in Oyo and Kano, respectively.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi stated that the party was not electorally prepared at the time of the elections. He emphasized that the contests occurred shortly after the transition of the party’s leadership, which should not serve as a benchmark for its future potential.
“We’ve explained it, we’ve issued a statement, we’ve talked about it several times. For us, the election happened less than a month after we came into the party. Most of the candidates, we didn’t even know them, and that’s why we said we cannot judge the ADC by that,” Abdullahi said.
He added, “You’re just talking about us transitioning into establishing our real leadership at this time. So, the by-election that you talked about happened too early in terms of transition for the party. We don’t want to be judged by the outcome of that election; other elections are coming, and we will be ready for those.”
Following INEC’s official recognition of the David Mark-led leadership of ADC, Abdullahi indicated that the party plans to initiate a nationwide reconciliation and mobilization effort to bolster its presence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We want Nigerians to get to 2027 and ask themselves, has this ruling party improved our lives or made our lives worse?… So we want a situation where people want a change, they can look back and see our party as a viable alternative,” he concluded.
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