The coalition-backed African Democratic Congress has urged that it should not be judged by its failure to win any seat in last month’s by-elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi, said the contests came too soon after the party’s leadership transition and should not be a yardstick for its potential.
The by-elections, held on August 16 to fill seats left vacant by deaths or resignations after the 2023 polls, produced no wins for the ADC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared the All Progressives Congress winner of 12 of the 16 seats, with the All Progressives Grand Alliance taking two seats in Anambra, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) one in Oyo, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party one in Kano.
Asked why ADC had a poor outing in the past election, Abdullahi argued the party was not electorally ready.
“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.
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.
So, we don’t want to be judged by the outcome of that election; other elections are coming, and we will be ready for those.
He said, following the official recognition of the David Mark-led leadership of ADC by INEC.
Alongside Mark, other principal officers now officially acknowledged by INEC include Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, Dr. Ibrahim Mani as National Treasurer, Akibu Dalhatu as National Financial Secretary, and Professor Oserheimen Aigberaodion Osunbor as National Legal Adviser.
With this formal endorsement, the ADC leadership is expected to commence a nationwide reconciliation and mobilisation effort, as the party seeks to strengthen its presence across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Setting out the party’s longer-term political aim, Abdullahi said the priority is building a mass party rather than chasing immediate victories.
“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 said.
PUNCH Online reports ADC had initially attributed its poor performance in the by-election to widespread violence, vote buying, and irregularities allegedly perpetrated by the ruling party.
The party claimed that the election was marred by vote-buying, ballot box snatching, voter intimidation, violence and alleged failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS.
APC denied the claims.
