Former Minister of Sports, seasoned media strategist, and the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi says the party is gaining strength and remains confident it will perform strongly in the upcoming elections despite internal challenges.
He said this while speaking with ARISE NEWS on Friday in an interview.
“A lot more people are growing more confident to join the party, having seen the direction that the party is going. Yet, there are still challenges, but we are confident that our party is waxing stronger by the day. So, the election is just a few months down the line, but we are very, very confident that we’ll do well in the election”, he said.
Speaking on the defection of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe from the All Progressive Grand Alliance, (APGA), to the ADC, Abdullahi argued that the controversy around Abaribe’s defection is politically motivated and hypocritical.
“You see, it’s part of the APC’s duplicitness. And why will I say this? When people decamp from NNPP to join APC, was there fractionalization within the NNPP? The answer is no. So, it’s okay when people join APC from whatever party, regardless of the situation in that party, but when they want to leave their original party to join ADC or any opposition party, then they begin to nitpick on this. And Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has made it clear that APGA has suspended him since last year. So, effectively, as we speak, he does not have a political party. So, on what grounds will you deny him the right to find a political party that he wants?”, he asked.
Adding, Abdullahi said Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe had the right to join the ADC after suspension by the APGA since the constitution does not recognise independent candidates.
“If he says that his party has suspended him and he does not have a political party and he chooses to go to ADC, so on what grounds will you say he cannot find a political party for himself? Does the constitution recognize independent candidates?”, he quizzed.
The Media Strategist said that the ADC is structurally and operationally ready to welcome defectors and manage election challenges.
“For the people coming to our party, we are more than ready to welcome them. It’s a big tent, and that’s why it’s a coalition, and we are hoping it will even get bigger. So we are inviting all opposition parties—that the only way we can present a formidable front as an opposition party is for everybody to come together as long as we believe in the same thing. So we are ready structurally, and we are ready in terms of our ability to manage the competitions that would arise ahead of 2027. We are prepared”, he declared.
Also on Senator Abaribe’s suspension by the Senate, Abdullahi assures that Abaribe’s situation is manageable, adding that the ADC adheres to formal party rules in handling disputes.
“I mean, for Senator Abaribe, the Senate has adjourned sine die to April, so there is sufficient time to deal with that. But we don’t envisage any obstacle. It’s a political party, and by its definition, a political party is to manage these kind of issues and developments. So there is nothing untoward about it, and we’re going to deal with it. So just for the record, as we stand, Senator Ireti Kingibe is not suspended from the African Democratic Congress.”
Addressing Senator Ireti Kingibe’s suspension, Abdullahi said the matter is about following proper party procedures, not the allegations themselves, noting ward-level suspensions without national approval are invalid.
“It’s not about the material particulars of the allegations against her, it’s about the process of suspending an individual from the party. If—I’m not saying she’s guilty of those things or not—but if you are suspecting her or you are laying allegations against her for those things, then you make your presentation through the appropriate processes and procedures and mechanism of the party”, he said.
Responding to APC’s criticism of the ADC, Abdullahi said that APC’s criticism highlights ADC’s rising relevance and credibility as a serious opposition party.
“Sometimes you even wonder if the APC realize that they are now a ruling party or they still think in terms of opposition. Because when you find a ruling party criticizing the opposition party, you wonder which party is actually the opposition. And they’ve spent considerable time paying so much attention to the African Democratic Congress which we should ordinarily feel flattered, right?
“You know, so we’re okay, let them continue to say what they want to say. We’re happy, we’re enjoying the limelight. Now they’re paying attention. They thought we’d go away, now we’re not going away. We’re here, sitting in the room”, he assured.
On zoning matters, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary said the ADC has not yet made a decision, and that whether the ticket comes from the South or North will be determined later based on strategic considerations.
“When you are an opposition party, the most important consideration you have is your strategy. So what is the strategic options that we have? So you cannot begin to say, ‘Okay, at this time, oh, we’re zoning or we’re unzoning.’ It’s a decision that the party has not made. When we get to that point, we’re going to take that decision, but it’s going to be a strategic decision more than anything else”, he shared.
Dismissing claims of an internal rift, Abdullahi said the African Democratic Congress’s top figures remain committed and united.
“They’ve been talking about this implosion from day one that ADC came about. ‘Oh, there’re bigwigs, everybody has an ambition, therefore the party is going to collapse when it gets to that point.’ But so far, everyone’s committing to the African Democratic Congress. Each of these bigwigs that you mentioned are committed to the African Democratic Congress because they know that what is at stake is big”, he concluded.
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