The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has pledged to rally 35 million Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections in a bid to oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and stop President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from securing a second term, should he contest.
The party’s National Chairman, Ralphs Okey Nwosu, made this assertion during the ADC Global Summit held in Abuja on Wednesday.
Questioning the strength of a mandate garnered from under 10 million votes in a country with over 88 million registered voters in the lead-up to the 2023 polls, Nwosu emphasized the need for a stronger, broader democratic participation.
He said the ADC is taking steps to position itself as a formidable challenger in 2027 by re-engaging a disillusioned electorate and reversing the trend of voter apathy.
“Our strategy includes targeting Nigerians who have abstained from voting due to disillusionment, as well as engaging young people who turned 18 between 2023 and now,” he said.
Nwosu disclosed that civil society groups that joined the ADC recently have already made significant impact.
“Civil societies are already organising. They just joined us not more than six months ago but by now, their membership is over five million. They are going to pull out 20 million,” he said.
He stressed that the party’s target of 35 million voters is only a baseline estimate, stating: “The 35 million benchmark is just an understatement because of some of the challenges we have in this country. For the first time, the next president of Nigeria will win clearly.”
To strengthen its chances, the ADC is forging alliances across party lines.
“We are bringing many political parties together and I can assure you without mincing words, you’re going to see the biggest coalition of patriots, people-driven coalition,” Nwosu added.
