By CHARLES IWUOHA

African Democratic Congress (ADC) has unveiled 38-member Presidential Campaign Council to canvass votes for its presidential candidate ahead of the January 16, 2027 election.

Inaugurating the campaign council Friday at the Yar’Adua Center in Abuja, ADC National Chairman, Sen. David Mark, charged members to leave no stone unturned in harvesting votes for the party, urging them to campaign on issues.

Mark said: “Today, we formally activate the machinery for the 2027 campaign of the African Democratic Congress. Let me make one thing clear from the outset:

“This is a council for dedicated hard-work. You have been appointed to serve, mobilize and to deliver.

“The responsibility before us is enormous. Nigeria is at a critical crossroads, and Nigerians are looking for leadership that understands their pain and respects their dignity. They are not looking for leaders who think they are infallible.

“Our task is therefore bigger than winning an election. Our task is to present Nigerians with a credible alternative and give them the reason to believe and trust that the essence of governance is to protect them and make their lives better.

“Leave no stone unturned. Leave no legitimate question unanswered. And leave no Nigerian behind.

“Go to every state, every local government, every ward and every community. Engage our traditional rulers, religious leaders, women, youths, workers, farmers, professionals, traders, artisans, students and persons living with disabilities. Listen to all Nigerians.

“Do not take any community for granted. Earn the confidence of the people. Let nobody say that the ADC did not come to them. Let nobody say that we did not listen. Let nobody say that we left them behind. Our campaign must be about the issues that matter to Nigerians. High cost of living, poverty, the economy, security, jobs, food, education, healthcare, infrastructure, inflation, good governance, the rule of law and the future of our young people. Nigerians already know their problems. We do not need to lecture them about their sufferings.

“We must listen to them and tell them clearly how we intend to solve the problems.

“The ADC’s Atiku Abubakar-Rotimi Amaechi ticket represents experience, capacity and national reach. But beyond these individuals, 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. We shall campaign vigorously without destroying the bonds that hold Nigerians together.

“To our Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates, I urge you to continue to present yourselves 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. In the course of your campaign, you could be physically attacked. When this happens, respond with a friendly HANDSHAKE. You could be insulted. When this happens, respond with a smile.

“As we approach 2027, the ADC will remain firmly committed to the integrity of the electoral process.

“We expect INEC and all institutions responsible for the 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 the ambits of the law.

“You have been called to serve. Serve with courage, discipline, humility and patriotism.”

Speaking, Presidential Candidate of the Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, accused Tinubu of making life unbearable for Nigerians, accusing him of clueless, ineptitude in managing the affairs of the country and copying his proposal on fuel subsidy.

He said: “You copied my production subsidy proposal, stripped away the part that makes it work, and handed Nigerians a 30-day discount. Where is the rest of the answer? Bola, you see why it is good to go to school!

“My production subsidy proposal is a lasting, targeted plan. Yours is a temporary palliative dressed up as a solution. Nigerians can see the difference between a leader who has done the work and a government scrambling for an election-season headline.

“Bola, your 30-day discount is a sugar rush masquerading as economic policy: a fleeting taste of relief at the pump, followed by the same brutal crash when the month ends. Families cannot plan their meals around a temporary discount. Transporters cannot set stable fares on it. Businesses cannot invest or plan for the future on it. Nigerians need lasting relief through a well-designed production subsidy that supports local refining and lowers fuel costs – not a N50 sweetener with an expiry date.

“But Why Are We Here Today?

“We are here to inaugurate the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council. When I look around this hall, I do not just see political appointees. I see patriots. I see veterans of our democratic journey. I see the very heartbeat of our great party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“I warmly welcome you to this historic occasion. On behalf of our party and this campaign, I thank you for accepting the heavy but glorious responsibility to serve. I charge you to undertake this assignment with the seriousness, the urgency, and the passion that this historic moment demands.

“Members of this esteemed Campaign Council, we must make this choice clear to Nigerians: the January 16 election is about their welfare and the future of their families. This election is a rescue mission, and every Nigerian with a PVC has a part to play. Let us urge them to dust off their PVCs and use them. In these difficult times, the ballot is more than a card; it is a powerful instrument for deciding whether life becomes affordable again.

“Another four years of Bola Tinubu means another four years of hunger, hardship and national decline. We must take that message to every community and mobilize Nigerians to vote for rescue, recovery and a government that will make life affordable again.

“My friends, even the best policies and strongest security plans will mean little if the people’s votes are stolen. This is bigger than any party, candidate or election: it is about whether Nigerians can trust that the votes they cast are the votes counted. Democracy is about the people’s sovereignty, and the vote belongs to them. Let me state clearly: transparency is not a crime. Accredited party agents, civil society organisations and observers have the right to independently verify results and operate situation rooms. They do not replace INEC; they help confirm that the national outcome reflects what was recorded at each polling unit. Technology must serve the people, not hide the process: election systems must be open to scrutiny and independent audit.

“We demand reforms that make every polling-unit result public immediately and accessible to every Nigerian; protect the legal right of parties and observers to verify those results; and broadcast state and national collation centers live.

“We also demand independent audits of election technology before and after elections, an independent commission to investigate and prosecute electoral offenses, electoral institutions whose transparent processes command public confidence, and severe penalties for vote suppression, result tampering and fraud. These are not threats to democracy; they are safeguards for the people’s mandate.

“But transparent elections mean little if opposition parties are prevented from seeking the people’s votes. Let the APC-controlled Federal and State Governments hear us: there will be no “no-go” areas in Nigeria. Opposition members are citizens with the constitutional right to move freely, express their views and campaign anywhere in the country. The attempt to block an opposition candidate from campaigning in Benue must not be repeated.

“We will campaign in every state, from the creeks to the savannahs, and resist any effort to stop our candidates from reaching Nigerians. No one can partition this country or gag the opposition. We will defend these rights by every lawful means – in the courts, in the streets, and at the ballot box.

“Bola, thirty days cannot erase three and a half years of hardship. Nigerians have heard your excuses and endured your failed promises. They are ready to judge your record. After this latest admission of failure, the honourable thing to do is step down. Nigerians deserve a government that will do the work and make life affordable again.”