‘INEC-Level Logistics’ – ADC Admits It Wasn’t Ready for 2027 Nationwide Primaries

‘INEC-Level Logistics’ – ADC Admits It Wasn’t Ready for 2027 Nationwide Primaries

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has openly admitted that it was caught off guard by the sheer scale of logistics required to conduct nationwide primaries ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the process as demanding what it calls “INEC-level logistics.”

In a candid interview on ARISE News, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, confessed that while the ADC anticipated difficulties, the reality of organising a primary election across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory proved far more daunting than initial preparations had accounted for.

“We always knew it was going to be a challenge because it requires an INEC-level logistics to be able to do a nationwide election,” Abdullahi said. “And I must admit that it came to us more or less as a curveball; we weren’t prepared to do this. But when INEC imposed it on us as the only option aside from the consensus, then we had no choice but to brace up for it.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revised its electoral guidelines ahead of the 2027 general elections, mandating that all political parties conduct direct or indirect primaries to nominate candidates—leaving consensus as the only alternative. According to Abdullahi, the ADC had hoped to lean heavily on internal consensus-building to avoid the logistical nightmare of a nationwide vote. However, when those consensus talks among the party’s presidential aspirants failed to produce a unanimous agreement, the ADC was forced to pivot to a full-scale primary. This shift, Abdullahi admitted, exposed significant gaps in the party’s organisational capacity. “It came to us more or less as a curveball,” he repeated for emphasis, underscoring how unprepared the opposition party was for the magnitude of the task.

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Rejecting suggestions that the party’s consensus arrangement had completely collapsed, Abdullahi provided a more nuanced explanation. He noted that even when a consensus is reached among aspirants, the Electoral Act still requires a national convention to formally affirm the outcome. “I would not use the word ‘collapse’ because it has its own dynamics. When you broker a consensus, it would still require you to do a convention to affirm the outcome of the consensus,” he stated. But he added a critical complication: “Some of the court situations that we have at the moment do not allow us to hold a convention.”

That court situation refers to the ongoing leadership crisis that has plagued the ADC. INEC had previously withdrawn recognition of the party’s leadership factions, citing a subsisting court order. The Commission refused to recognise either the faction led by Senator David Mark or the rival Nafiu Bala Gombe faction, leaving the party in a state of legal limbo. Despite this, Abdullahi maintained faith in the judiciary. “Regardless of what has happened in Nigeria, we still have confidence in the judiciary. We believe we have a slam-dunk case,” he told Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The ADC’s 2027 presidential primary has reportedly drawn three heavyweight contenders: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and prominent businessman and economist Hayatu-Deen Mohammed. What initially appeared to be a quiet attempt by influential stakeholders to produce a consensus candidate has since evolved into a full-scale political battle. Multiple meetings aimed at persuading one or two aspirants to step down have ended without resolution, forcing the party into the very nationwide primary it had hoped to avoid. Nevertheless, Abdullahi dismissed fears that the outcome could tear the African Democratic Congress apart. He noted that all three aspirants had committed to submitting themselves to the process. “The three gentlemen have committed to submit themselves to the primaries. We pride ourselves in the systems that we have put in place. And so far, we’ve not received any serious complaints about anything untoward,” he said.

Abdullahi took time to explain the ADC’s internal political culture, positioning it as fundamentally different from Nigeria’s dominant parties. He said the ADC deliberately avoids imposition, preferring persuasion, negotiation and debate. “The ADC is a party that prides itself in contestation, internal contestation of ideas, of positions. We don’t impose. In the ADC, we don’t direct, we don’t tell people what to do. We discuss, we negotiate, and we argue until we agree,” he explained. He acknowledged that this approach can make the party’s processes more difficult and time-consuming, but insisted it reflects the kind of political culture the ADC wants to present to Nigerians—one built on internal democracy rather than top-down directives.

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According to Abdullahi, the ADC should not be judged solely by the individual ambitions of its aspirants, but by its manifesto, ethical code, and internal principles. He revealed that all aspirants were required to sign up to the party’s ethical standards during screening. “The ADC is being deliberately designed as a party that is able to impose its authority on its members at all levels. We have our manifesto, we have our ethical principles and philosophy that each of these leaders, each of these aspirants at the point of screening had to sign, committing themselves to the ethical principles of the ADC,” he said. He also dismissed claims of a faction within the party, arguing that the term ‘faction’ carries specific legal and technical requirements that have not been met. “Faction is a technical term. For you to call a group of people a faction within a whole, certain qualities, certain qualifications, certain criteria have to be met,” Abdullahi said.

Looking beyond the primary process, Abdullahi outlined the party’s governance vision for 2027 and beyond. He said an ADC-led government would place citizens, not market forces, at the centre of governance. “We will put the people first. Every single policy of our government would be guided by one single question: How does it improve the livelihood of the people? How does it protect the people, and how does it make them live a better life? That’s the difference,” he assured. This vision aligns with a comprehensive governance blueprint recently unveiled by the ADC, which includes a “zero-impunity” governance model built on the rule of law, accountability, and performance audits; a shift away from Nigeria’s oil-reliant structure toward a production-driven economy; treating food security as a national security priority; declaring a state of emergency in education; and a multi-layered security framework combining local intelligence, decentralised policing, and national coordination.

Despite the ongoing leadership crisis and logistical challenges, Abdullahi reaffirmed the party’s determination to participate in the 2027 general election. He insisted that INEC’s derecognition of the party’s leadership will not derail its plans. “One thing I can guarantee is that we will contest the 2027 election on the ADC platform,” he said. He then levelled a sharp accusation against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alleging they are attempting to weaken opposition parties in pursuit of a one-party state. “We in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are saying that Nigeria will not become a one-party state in our generation. We will do everything within the law to resist it,” he said.

‘INEC-Level Logistics’ – ADC Admits It Wasn’t Ready for 2027 Nationwide Primaries