The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kwara State has said its candidates for the 2027 general elections are not linked to any cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

This is just as it also ruled out collapsing into any of the existing political parties ahead of the polls.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the position known in Ilorin on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ get-together.

He insisted that the ADC would remain an independent political platform.

Abdullahi said while the party is open to alliances, such partnerships must be strictly based on political ideology and not electoral convenience or political merger.

He dismissed suggestions that the ADC could collapse into another party, adding that the opposition platform remains firm and expanding.

“Our door is wide open,” he said, noting that the party continues to admit members from other political platforms across Kwara State.

On preparations for the 2027 elections, Abdullahi said the party had conducted primaries for positions including the state House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and governorship, producing candidates he described as credible.

However, he stressed that integrity remains central to the party’s selection process.

The ADC candidates, he noted, are not associated with EFCC investigations or corruption cases.

“We have qualified and experienced candidates. We don’t have candidates that have been to EFCC before,” he said.

Abdullahi urged Nigerians to support the ADC in 2027, saying the party was positioned to address insecurity and economic hardship affecting the country.

He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of worsening living conditions, citing rising cases of kidnapping, banditry and killings across several states.

“Reported cases of kidnapping, banditry and killing have taken a serious toll on people in various states of the country. This must stop and ADC is capable of causing the necessary change to move Nigeria forward,” he said.

He also called on party members to intensify mobilisation ahead of the elections, while urging Nigerians to actively participate in “a necessary political shift”.

Abdullahi expressed confidence that the ADC would form government in Kwara State and at the national level in 2027 if supported by voters, stressing that leadership change requires collective effort beyond political candidates alone.

The ADC spokesman also defended the constitution of a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the party in Kwara State.

He explained that the decision became necessary following the expiration of the tenure of the previous executives and the inability of the party to conduct congresses due to pending litigation.

According to him, the national leadership approved a caretaker arrangement to prevent a vacuum in the state chapter which led to the emergence of former Kwara speaker, Hon Babatunde Mohammed

Abdullahi also dismissed claims that the party is being weighed down by legal disputes, describing such assertions as politically motivated.

He said: “People keep talking about the ADC collapsing. We are ADC; we are not collapsing. We remain the major opposition party in Nigeria. We don’t even know whether the PDP still exists in any meaningful form. So, ADC will collapse into whom? Into where?.

“We are willing to work with any party that shares our vision, philosophy and plans for governing the country. After all, we are already a coalition, and coalition-building never ends.

“If any party, group of parties or faction wishes to join the African Democratic Congress, they are welcome. But will we join another party? No, no, no. We won’t.

“The tenure of the state executives had elapsed, just like that of other party leadership structures across the country. Because there could not be a vacuum and considering the court situation, the party leadership approved the appointment of a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party for the next 12 months.

“People give the impression that ADC is drowning in court cases. That is what some government officials and members of other parties want Nigerians to believe.

“But none of the pending legal matters would hinder the party’s operations or preparations for future elections,” he said. (Daily Trust)

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