…faults Tinubu’s ‘all is fair in politics’ remarks
.declares looting of public resources as banditry
.to abolish single line budgetary provision for ‘security votes’
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Tuesday launched its governance principles and code of ethics, code named “The Orange Book,” for members and its public officers.
Speaking during the occasion, the National Legal Adviser of the ADC, Sen. Oserherimen Osunbor, said the party’s Orange Book supplements the party’s constitution by providing detailed ethical and conduct guidelines for members.
Osunbor said the ADC constitution could not contain every expectation from members, noting that the Orange Book served as an addendum to the constitution, particularly on ethics and conduct.
He said the party expected all members and officials to commit themselves to compliance with the code of ethics and code of conduct contained in the Orange Book.
Osunbor expressed concern over the declining values of ethics, morality, and good conduct in Nigeria, particularly among the ruling class, saying that politics should not be treated as war.
“I was disappointed, particularly coming from the President, that all is fair in politics. Even in war, there are rules of engagement. We in ADC do not believe that all is fair in politics,” he said.
Reviewing the document at the event held at its National Secretariat in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the Orange Book articulated the foundational and ethical principles of the ADC as a reformist and progressive political party.
He said the party remained committed to re-engineering Nigerian politics for the sole purpose of providing dedicated service to the country and its people.
According to him, the handbook outlines the party’s political, economic, and social principles, which are expected to guide members and public officers.
“All members of the African Democratic Congress are expected to familiarize themselves with the content of this handbook, which shall serve as governance principles.
“It shall also serve as the code of ethics for every member and public officer elected or appointed on the platform of the party.”
Speaking on the rationale behind the book, Abdullahi said the adoption of the Orange Book was a call to duty and a direct response to decades of corruption and institutional failure.
He said the document was also designed to address the betrayal of public trust while reaffirming the ADC’s commitment to honor, order, and accountability.
He said the ADC believed leadership was a trust and not merely a title, adding that the party welcomed scrutiny, questions, and constructive criticism.
On appointments, he said Nigeria has been turned into a “Yoruba nation” under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.
In the document which was signed by all ADC candidates, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the party vowed to reposition the country to meet international standards if elected into power, while declaring that all forms of looting of public resources would be treated as a form of banditry to be tackled at all levels.
According to the document, the ADC shall abolish the opaque practice of single-line budgeting for “security votes” and any system of security-related expenditure that operates without effective legislative review
