National Chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, on Friday inaugurated party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) ahead of 2027 general elections.
The ceremony is taking place at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
In his remarks, Mark described inauguration as formal activation of machinery for 2027 campaign, saying council was constituted for dedicated hard work.
“This is a council for dedicated hard-work. You have been appointed to serve, mobilize and to deliver,” he said.
He said Nigeria is at a critical crossroads and Nigerians are looking for leadership that understands their pain and respects their dignity, adding that task before council goes beyond winning an election.
“Our task is therefore bigger than winning an election. Our task is to present Nigerians with a credible alternative and give them reason to believe and trust that essence of governance is to protect them and make their lives better,” he said.
Mark charged members of council to leave no stone unturned, leave no legitimate question unanswered and leave no Nigerian behind.
He urged them to go to every state, local government, ward and community and engage traditional rulers, religious leaders, women, youths, workers, farmers, professionals, traders, artisans, students and persons living with disabilities.
“Do not take any community for granted. Earn confidence of people. Let nobody say that ADC did not come to them. Let nobody say that we did not listen,” he said.
The ADC national chairman said campaign must be about issues that matter to Nigerians, including high cost of living, poverty, economy, security, jobs, food, education, healthcare, infrastructure, inflation, good governance, rule of law, and the future of young people.
He said Nigerians already know their problems, and council should listen to them and explain how it intends to solve problems.
Mark said ADC’s Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi ticket represents experience, capacity and national reach, but the greater project is Nigeria.
“We will speak to every region, every faith and every ethnic nationality. We will build bridges, and not walls. We shall disagree without hatred. We shall compete without violence,” he said.
He urged presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and vice-presidential candidate, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to present themselves as candidates for the whole country.
“Speak with respect. Listen with humility. Campaign with courage. And let your message be defined by competence, experience, integrity, inclusion and national unity,” he said.
Mark told candidates that in the course of the campaign they could be attacked or insulted, and urged them to respond with a handshake and a smile.
He said ADC will remain committed to the integrity of the electoral process and expects INEC and all institutions responsible for elections to be impartial, transparent and professional.
“Every eligible Nigerian must be able to vote freely, safely and without intimidation. We will reject violence, hate speech and politics of revenge. We will compete fiercely within ambits of law,” he said.
He described the assignment as a call to duty, urging members to serve with courage, discipline, humility and patriotism, noting that the road ahead will demand sacrifice, organisation, resources, patience, honesty and resilience.
Chairman of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, ADC-PCC, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, while speaking, said that the 2027 campaign is about the rescue of Nigeria and charged Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and participate in the election.
Ibrahim-Imam said the council was not constituted for titles but to begin a rescue effort ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Let no one mistake this gathering for a ceremony. We have not come here to collect titles. We have come here to begin a rescue,” he said.
He commended the leadership of the party and paid tribute to the deputy chairman of the council, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, saying his spirit and ideology remain with the council.
The PCC chairman asked Nigerians if they were tired, hungry and ready for change, urging them to take the message to every street, market, motor park, mosque and church.
He cited economic challenges facing Nigerians, including food inflation, rising debt profile, insecurity and poverty, referencing figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, Debt Management Office, Amnesty International and the World Bank.
According to him, Nigeria’s total public debt, which stood at N87.38 trillion at the inception of the current administration, rose to N166.79 trillion by June 30, 2026, while food inflation and kidnapping incidents have increased.
He said the cost of petrol moved from N195 to over N1,000 per litre following the removal of the subsidy, leading to an increase in transport, food, and other costs.
Ibrahim-Imam said the government announced policy measures, including a presidential jet, delegates to a climate conference, and vehicles for lawmakers, at a time Nigerians faced economic pressure.
He said religious leaders, including Catholic Bishops and Islamic clerics in Kano, have expressed concerns about the state of the nation, including insecurity, economic policies, and migration of professionals.
He drew a contrast between the current administration and the period between 1999 and 2007 when, he said, the economy grew from $58 billion to $270 billion and foreign reserves rose from $3.7 billion to $45 billion.
“Between 1999 and 2007, with Atiku Abubakar as Vice President and chairman of National Economic Council, Nigeria’s economy grew from 58 billion dollars to 270 billion dollars,” he said.
He described ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, as an experienced ticket with capacity and national reach, recalling that President Bola Tinubu had in 2016 described Atiku as the leader Nigeria needed.
The PCC chairman charged members of council to see assignment as a burden of hope of Nigerians, saying there is no room for faction or envy and that the campaign will be won at polling units.
“We will take this message to every market, every motor park, every village square, every church and every mosque. And on election day we will stand by every vote until it is counted and declared,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to collect voter cards, vote early on January 16, 2027, and remain until results are counted and posted, calling for peaceful participation.
Ibrahim-Imam said, on behalf of council members, he accepted the assignment and assured that the council will not fail.
Dignitaries at the event included presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi, chairman of ADC-PCC Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, deputy chairman Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and Director-General Senator Austin Akobundu.
