The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has declared that the party will not accept any attempt to rig it out of the 2027 general elections.
Mark made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja when the Governing Council of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development paid a courtesy visit to the ADC national headquarters.
The delegation, led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, said the visit was part of the Centre’s ongoing consultations with political parties and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ariwoola said the Centre was committed to promoting free, fair and credible elections, urging the ADC leadership to ensure that its candidates and members complied with the rules of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He also called on the party to discourage its members from engaging in political violence before, during and after the elections.
Responding, Mark assured the delegation that the ADC would operate within the established rules of the electoral process.
He said the party was committed to conducting its political activities in a manner capable of strengthening public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
“We are committed to playing politics in a manner that promotes public confidence in democracy,” Mark said.
The ADC chairman further pledged that the party would comply with INEC’s regulations and its internal code of conduct as contained in its Orange Book.
Mark, however, stressed that compliance with the rules would not prevent the party from defending its electoral mandate.
“We hold ourselves to the highest standards of good conduct as a political party. We will play by the rules. But we will not accept rigging or allow ourselves to be rigged out,” he said.
Members of Ariwoola’s delegation included members of the Savannah Centre’s Governing Council, otherwise known as the “Council of the Wise”.
They included Professors Abdullahi Shehu and Azeez Musa Dankano, the Centre’s Executive Director, Ambassador Sani Bala, Mr Tunji Lardner and Ambassador Godknows Igali, among others.
