The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Senator David Mark, has charged the party’s Presidential Campaign Council to build a campaign around Nigerians’ concerns, saying its responsibility extends beyond winning the 2027 general elections to presenting a credible alternative capable of improving lives.
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Mark spoke on Friday at the inauguration of the council at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where he formally activated the party’s presidential campaign machinery for its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and vice-presidential candidate, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
He described the council’s inauguration as a call to service, stressing that members were appointed to organise, mobilise and deliver rather than merely occupy positions.
“This is a council for dedicated hard work. You have been appointed to serve, mobilize and to deliver,” Mark said.
According to him, Nigeria is at a critical crossroads, with citizens seeking leadership that understands their difficulties and respects their dignity. He said the campaign must give Nigerians reasons to trust the party’s capacity to govern.
“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 directed council members to reach every state, local government area, ward and community, engaging traditional rulers, religious leaders, women, youths, workers, farmers, professionals, traders, artisans, students and persons living with disabilities.
He urged them to leave no legitimate question unanswered and ensure that no community was overlooked in the campaign.
“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 stated.
The ADC chairman said the campaign must address the issues shaping everyday life, including the high cost of living, poverty, insecurity, unemployment, food prices, education, healthcare, infrastructure, inflation, good governance and the rule of law.
He added that the future of young Nigerians must remain central to the party’s message, stressing that citizens already understand their problems and expect political leaders to listen and explain how they intend to solve them.
Mark described the Atiku-Amaechi ticket as one offering experience, capacity and national reach, but emphasised that the campaign’s larger purpose must remain the interests of 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.
Addressing the two candidates, Mark urged them to present themselves as leaders for the whole country and avoid rhetoric capable of deepening divisions.
“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.
He also advised them to respond calmly to attacks and insults during the campaign, urging them to meet hostility with a handshake and a smile.
On the electoral process, Mark said the ADC expected the Independent National Electoral Commission and other institutions responsible for conducting elections to act impartially, transparently and professionally.
“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 stated.
He told council members that the assignment would require sacrifice, organisation, resources, patience, honesty and resilience, urging them to discharge their duties with courage, discipline, humility and patriotism.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, described the campaign as a mission to rescue Nigeria and called on citizens to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and participate peacefully in the election.
“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.
Ibrahim-Imam commended the party’s leadership and paid tribute to the council’s deputy chairman, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, saying his spirit and ideology remained with the campaign organisation.
He asked Nigerians whether they were tired of hardship, hungry and ready for change, urging supporters to carry the party’s message beyond the venue to streets, markets, motor parks, mosques and churches.
Building his argument around the economy and security, Ibrahim-Imam cited figures he attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics, the Debt Management Office, Amnesty International and the World Bank.
He said Nigeria’s total public debt had risen from ₦87.38 trillion at the inception of the current administration to ₦166.79 trillion by June 30, 2026, while arguing that food inflation, kidnapping and poverty had worsened.
He also said the rise in petrol prices from about ₦195 to more than ₦1,000 per litre following subsidy removal had increased transportation, food and other living costs.
The council chairman criticised expenditure on a presidential aircraft, participation in a climate conference and vehicles for lawmakers, arguing that such spending contrasted with the economic pressure facing Nigerians.
He further referred to concerns expressed by Catholic bishops and Islamic clerics in Kano about insecurity, economic policies and the departure of professionals from the country.
Drawing a comparison with the administration in which Atiku served as vice-president, Ibrahim-Imam said Nigeria’s economy and foreign reserves had expanded between 1999 and 2007.
“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 also claimed that foreign reserves rose from $3.7 billion to $45 billion during that period.
Ibrahim-Imam described Atiku and Amaechi as an experienced ticket capable of reaching Nigerians across the country. He recalled remarks he attributed to President Bola Tinubu in 2016 describing Atiku as the leader Nigeria needed.
Turning to the council’s internal responsibilities, he warned against factional interests and envy, saying members carried the burden of Nigerians’ hopes and must concentrate on organising at the polling-unit level.
“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 their voter cards, vote early on January 16, 2027, and peacefully observe the counting and posting of results.
Accepting the assignment on behalf of council members, Ibrahim-Imam assured the party’s leadership that the campaign organisation would work to fulfil its mandate.
Those listed among the dignitaries at the inauguration included Atiku, Amaechi, Ibrahim-Imam, El-Rufai and the campaign council’s Director-General, Senator Austin Akobundu.
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