BY AMAYINDI YAKUBU
THE Delta State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has inaugurated a Transition Team, saying it is ready to “hit the ground running” as the party prepares to contest the 2027 governorship.
The transition team, made up of Barr George Timinimi, Hon Ozegbe Lawrence, Rev Johnson Urlukpe, Mr Omonigho Anthony, and Amb Richard Aduvie, reemphasised that their immediate objective is to build a broad membership –base across Delta and position the ADC as a fresh alternative to existing parties.
The team announced that an aggressive membership revalidation and registration exercise is set to begin on December 19, 2025, adding the transition team, will register and revalidate members across the various local governments of Delta State.
Speaking about the coalition structure and Peter Obi’s involvement in the ADC coalition, the team acknowledged that the entire machinery of Peter Obi is in ADC, noting that ADC is a coalition of parties, among which the Labour Party is part of, mega parties that resolve to use ADC as a vehicle to redirect Nigerian and Delta politics.”
The party vowed to prioritise competence when selecting candidates for the 2027 general election in the state, saying “, ADC is not going to play with competence because the ADC is determined to deliver good governance to the citizenry.
‘’While we put competence on the table, while we take that competence as a front burner, we’ll also look at the political arrangement and understand it as it exists in the polity of the states’’.
The team emphasised a people-centred policy approach that responds to Delta’s distinct geography and livelihoods. They also outlined internal mechanisms for managing conflicts to prevent factionalisation, and urged Deltans to embrace ADC as a “movement” for change.
Reiterating the philosophy of the party, the team stated that ADC “is a party for the common man and the ideologies or the driving spirit that accumulated into the adoption of ADC is primarily to stop the suffering that is being induced on Nigerians by the APC government.”
Beyond governance and party building, ADC leaders also addressed concerns about electoral manipulation and the integrity of Nigeria’s elections. They referenced ongoing debates in the National Assembly around electoral reforms and argued that until major amendments are made to the Electoral Act, opposition parties must remain vigilant.
ADC leaders insisted that the party’s national leadership is politically experienced and capable of matching established parties in strategy, stressing that voters are increasingly resistant to vote-buying and political inducements and are more inclined to vote according to conscience.
…Faults Supreme Court’s Verdict On Emergency Rule
THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised the Supreme Court over its recent ruling affirming the President’s power to suspend elected governors and state assemblies during a state of emergency, warning that the judgment poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s federalism and democratic order.
In a statement issued yesterday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the decision as one that effectively creates a “constitutional tyrant” by concentrating excessive powers in the Presidency.
According to the ADC, although the ruling appears “academic” on the surface, its implications are far-reaching and dangerous.
“Although the ruling appears innocuously academic, it represents a potential inflexion point in our democratic development, one that may alter the nature of our democracy forever,” Abdullahi said.
The party noted that the apex court held that once a state of emergency is declared, the President has the discretion to determine the measures required to restore peace and security, including taking what it termed “extraordinary measures.”
ADC argued that such wide discretion could be easily abused. “The obvious implication of this position is that the President, or his agents, could contrive a security situation in any state whose governor is deemed ‘unfriendly’ and proceed to suspend both the Governor and the State House of Assembly,” the statement read.
The opposition party said the judgment contradicts the constitutional principle that no arm or tier of government is superior to another, insisting that its practical effect places state governments firmly under presidential control.
“The clear effect of the ruling grants the President firm control over the political conduct of state governors. This is an extremely dangerous threat to Nigeria’s federalism and democracy,” Abdullahi stated.
ADC also questioned the safeguards cited by the Supreme Court to prevent abuse of presidential powers, including proportionality, legislative oversight, and judicial review.
“When confronted with a President willing to do anything to retain power, proportionality is clearly out of the question,” Abdullahi said, alleging that the current administration has shown intolerance toward opposition parties.
On legislative oversight, the party claimed that the National Assembly has been weakened.
“With the President’s effective conquest of the National Assembly, and a legislature that has shamefully reduced itself to a mere appendage of the Presidency, legislative oversight is equally implausible,” the statement added.
The party further argued that judicial review has been compromised by the ruling itself.
