2027: ADC reads riot acts to governorship candidates against hate speech, empty promises

By Jude Opara

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has charged its governorship candidates to refrain from running campaigns of calumny and to avoid hate speech, ethnic and religious profiling, political violence and unrealistic promises.

National Chairman of the ADC, Sen. David Mark, gave the charge on Monday in Abuja at a consultation meeting with the party’s governorship candidates from across the country in the build-up to the campaigns.

Mark told the candidates to ensure that their campaigns reflected the values and the kind of country the ADC intends to build, warning them to desist from making promises they would not be able to fulfil if elected.

“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,” Mark said.

The former Senate President also added that the ADC does not subscribe to the notion that “all is fair in politics,” stressing that there were actions that politicians and political parties must not engage in just because of politics.

He also directed the candidates to keep abreast with the party’s governance and ethical principles as contained in its ‘Orange Book’, as well as the ADC manifesto.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the ADC National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the consultation became necessary for the purpose of addressing the issues that emerged from the party’s governorship primaries.

Abdullahi also revealed that the party would soon constitute a National Reconciliation Committee to address all grievances and rebuild relationships among members who contested the primary elections.

“The meeting was called for a couple of important reasons. One of which is the aftermath of the primaries. There were issues arising from the primaries that led to relationship issues in some states,” Abdullahi said.

He said that the ADC leadership equally emphasised the need for the candidates to make the party’s manifesto a cardinal part of their campaigns.

According to Abdullahi, the party’s proposed return to a fuel subsidy regime is to reduce the cost of petrol and ease the suffering of the people, hence the need for them to make it a major issue in their communicate with the voters.as they campaign.

“The chairman told them that they must key into the national agenda of the party, especially on the party’s commitment to bring back the issue of fuel subsidy, to make life easier and to bring support to Nigerians,” he said.

In their separate remarks, the governorship candidates, expressed appreciation to the party for providing them with the platform to contest the 2027 elections.

They pledged their continuous loyalty to the ADC and expressed commitment to working with the party’s national leadership to secure victory in their respective states in 2027.

Concerning the alleged substitution of validly nominated candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abdullahi said no candidate had formally complained to the party that his or her name had been substituted.

However, he said the party had records of its submissions and would address any discrepancy that might arise through the appropriate administrative channels.

The former Minister of Sports said the ADC would resist any ploy to frustrate its campaigns, but would do so strictly through democratic and legal means.

“We are not going to say that our party will return violence for violence. Violence is not the ADC way,” Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi further said the party was documenting alleged cases of political threats and intimidation ahead of the election, including statements that could amount to political terrorism.

The spokesman also raised concerns over what he described as excessive charges for political billboards in some states, insisting that such fees could hamper the ability of the restrict opposition parties to campaign.