The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned its governorship candidates against hate speech, ethnic and religious profiling, political violence and unrealistic promises as the party begins preparations for its 2027 election campaigns.
National Chairman of the party, Senator David Mark, gave the warning yesterday in Abuja during a consultation meeting with the party’s governorship candidates from across the country.
Mark charged the candidates to run issue-based campaigns and ensure that their messages reflected the values and kind of country the ADC intends to build.
He particularly warned candidates against making promises they could not fulfil if elected, saying such pledges could damage their credibility and undermine the integrity of the party.
“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 ADC chairman rejected the popular political saying that “all is fair in politics,” insisting that there were actions that political parties and their candidates must never engage in, regardless of the circumstances.
He also directed the candidates to study the party’s Governance and Ethical Principles, contained in its Orange Book, as well as the ADC manifesto.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the consultation was also aimed at resolving grievances arising from the recently concluded governorship primaries.
Abdullahi disclosed that the party would soon establish a National Reconciliation Committee to resolve disputes and rebuild relationships among members who contested against one another during the primaries.
He said the committee would visit affected states and work towards ensuring that the party enters the 2027 elections as a united platform.
“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,” he said.
The spokesman urged governorship candidates to close ranks with their former opponents and work together for the success of the party.
He said the leadership also directed the candidates to make the ADC’s national agenda a central part of their campaigns.
According to Abdullahi, the party’s proposal to restore a fuel subsidy regime to reduce petrol costs and ease the burden of living expenses would be one of the key issues candidates would take to voters.
“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.
The governorship candidates, in their separate remarks, thanked the party for providing them with a platform to contest the 2027 elections and pledged their loyalty to the ADC leadership.
They also promised to work with the party to secure victory in their respective states.
On reports of alleged substitution of validly nominated candidates, Abdullahi said no candidate had formally approached the party with a complaint that his or her name had been substituted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He, however, said the party had records of all its submissions and would address any discrepancies through the appropriate administrative channels.
The spokesman also warned against attacks on ADC campaign activities, destruction of billboards and other acts of provocation during the electioneering period.
He said the party would resist attempts to frustrate its campaigns, but stressed that it would respond through legal and democratic means rather than violence.
“We are not going to say that our party will return violence for violence. Violence is not the ADC way,” Abdullahi said.
He disclosed that the party was documenting alleged cases of political threats and intimidation ahead of the elections, including statements which could amount to political terrorism.
According to him, the ADC would expose such incidents and pursue them through the courts and other legitimate institutions.
Abdullahi also criticised what he described as excessive charges for political billboards in some states, arguing that such fees could restrict opposition parties from accessing campaign and communication spaces.
He said the party would challenge any measure it considered an attempt to limit its ability to campaign.
“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.
The ADC leadership reiterated that its candidates must abide by the party’s ethical principles and ensure that the 2027 campaign is centred on peace, issues, responsible politics and realistic promises.
