The African Democratic Congress (ADC)’s Chairman, Ibrahim Mani, has dismissed concerns that the organization has compromised its standards in order to accommodate newcomers. He noted that political parties are meant to be inclusive within the bounds of constitutional provisions.
He made the remarks during his remarks on Monday on Channels Television’s breakfast program, The Morning Brief, by highlighting the party’s continued commitment to establishing a strong and credible opposition in Nigeria by welcoming newcomers as part of the preparations for the upcoming general elections.
“A political party is a newcomer affair,” he said. Because the constitution prohibits individuals who have been found guilty by a competent court of law from entering political parties to contest elections, you can’t categorise people who clearly have no criminal history. Or people who are not Nigerians or are underage,” Mani said.
He continued, noting that the ADC is concerned about ensuring its members’ membership in accordance with its goal of making a viable alternative to Nigeria’s dominant parties, even though political parties are not intended to arbitrarily exclude people.
“It doesn’t mean everyone enters, but ultimately they can accomplish whatever political goal they have,” he said. We are focusing on creating a party that will represent the opposition in Nigeria. What other option do you have if it will require a lot of effort and time? ” he stated.
Mani urged people to form a coalition that supports democracy through credible opposition, as well as to avoid the risk of allowing the nation to veer away from a one-party system.
“Rather than allowing the country to become a one-party state,” he said, “it’s better to form a party with people who support the existence of a credible opposition.”
The ADC’s position comes as multiparty democracy in Nigeria is being debated more and more frequently. Analysts warn that the weakening of opposition parties could undermine checks and balances in power.
In order for Nigerians to find viable political alternatives ahead of the 2027 general elections, Mani noted that the party is seeing a sizable influx of new members.
“A lot of it is obvious that taking over structures is a gradual thing.” There are obvious signs that people are entering the party with their troops,” Mani said.
He explained that the ADC had to re-host its official website three times in a week due to repeated crashes brought on by the volume of Nigerians attempting to join the party online.
He explained that because the party’s website was crashing because of the large numbers of people registering online as members, we had to host it three different times in the past week.
Mani emphasized that the ADC is attempting to form a grassroots party by focusing on inclusivity and engagement in order to establish itself as a trustworthy alternative to the nation’s dominant political parties.
We are attempting to establish a new party from the bottom up, attempting to entice voters. Nigerians have, of course, been anticipating having the chance to have a party or find a solution to their current situation,” he said.
In spite of the country’s growing economic hardship, Mani argued that Nigerians are yearning for positive change.
When people notice a sign that something positive is likely to happen, they will naturally gravitate toward such an opportunity, even though they are aware that things are not as they should be and that there is a lot of suffering there. And that’s exactly what the ADC is experiencing, he continued.
The BOT chairman’s remarks come as opposition parties in Nigeria are under pressure to expand their platforms and offer viable options for governance, with analysts warning that the absence of strong alternatives could cause the democratic process to become more disenchanted.
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Since then, there have been a lot of negative comments made about the recent collapse of all party structures, as the former chairman, Ralph Nwosu, announced to allow a new leadership to form a coalition of forces ahead of the 2027 general election.
A coalition led by former vice president Atiku Abubakar had announced that ADC would support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.