By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has moved to heal divisions arising from its recently concluded primaries, warning against internal sabotage and revenge politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party is seeking to bring back together members bruised by the contests, rebuild trust and ensure that those who lost out do not become casualties of the political process.
Inaugurating the National Reconciliation and Peace Committee, the National Chairman, Senator David Mark said electoral victory should not determine who remains valued within the party.
“An election may determine who carries the flag, but it must never determine who belongs to the Party,” he said.
Mark said the ADC’s attention must now shift from internal contests to the larger task of building a formidable platform for the 2027 elections.
“Our real challenge is not the ADC member who contested against you. Our real challenge is to build a united political platform capable of winning the confidence of Nigerians in 2027,” he added.
Established under Article 9.1 of the ADC Constitution, the committee will engage aspirants, candidates, leaders and other stakeholders, address grievances and recommend measures for integrating unsuccessful aspirants and their supporters into the party’s structures.
The former Senate President urged members to resist actions capable of deepening divisions.
“There must be no internal sabotage. No politics of revenge. No permanent winners and no permanent losers. We are one political family,” he said.
The ADC chairman charged the committee to build bridges, heal wounds and restore confidence as the party prepares for the 2027 elections.
Responding on behalf of the committee, its chairman, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, acknowledged that the primaries and other party processes had left some members wounded, but expressed confidence that the grievances could be resolved.
“There is no doubt that injury have been caused in one way or the other through primaries and other working structure in our respective states, but it’s not impossible that these issues can be arrested and will work in the interest of the party,” Ogbeha said.
He appealed to members to subordinate personal ambitions to the larger interests of the country and the party, saying the committee’s assignment was tied to the ADC’s broader political objective.
“Our responsibility is not just healing wounds, our responsibility is to ensure that we achieve our objective of changing the narrative in Nigeria by winning the next election,” he said.
Ogbeha also urged unsuccessful aspirants to remain committed to the party, stressing that the loss of one political contest should not end their ambitions.
“If we don’t succeed in what we are looking for this time around, four years is not too long. There will be another opportunity to present yourself,” he added.
He pledged that the committee would pursue justice and reconciliation with integrity and place the collective interest above individual ambitions.
“We are going to be honest. We are going to be transparent and as much as possible, do the best we can to reconcile our party, and we ensure that this party is supreme to other individual interest,” Ogbeha said.
The committee comprises Ogbeha as chairman, Senator Oserheimen Osunbor as deputy chairman, and members drawn from the six geopolitical zones. Peter Oyewale is secretary, while Isaac Dare Oketade is deputy secretary. Six zonal legal advisers will also liaise with the committee.
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