In July, prominent political figures adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a coalition platform to challenge the Nigerian ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In an exclusive interview with the New Daily Prime, the ADC Coalition’s Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, former Minister of Youth Development and Sports, outlined the ADC’s vision, its plans to do things differently, and the role young Nigerians can play in driving change.
New Daily Prime: What does the ADC stand for, and how is it different from other parties?
Bolaji Abdullahi: Thank you very much for the question. First and foremost, in the ADC, our primary motivation is to rescue Nigeria’s democracy from becoming a one-party system. If you follow government activities since 2023, you will notice a deliberate effort to weaken the opposition. The ruling APC has tried to destabilize the PDP, Labour Party, SDP, and others — all to ensure no real challenger remains by 2027.
They know that, based on their record of achievements alone, Nigerians may not vote for them. Their economic policies have plunged millions into poverty. Many Nigerians in the diaspora can testify to this because of the constant financial pressure from family members struggling to survive back home. This is what led to the coalition. Leaders from different parties agreed that we cannot allow Nigeria to become a one-party state. The ADC provides an alternative political platform.
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Today, the choice is simple: either you are with the ruling party, APC, or you are with the opposition under the ADC. The PDP is weakened, Labour Party dismembered, and SDP decimated. Nigerians who feel the APC government has failed now have the ADC as their home. That’s why we say ADC is not just a political party — it is a movement of the Nigerian people who see the need to reset our country.
New Daily Prime: More than 60% of Nigerians are youth, and an estimated 17 million live abroad. How does the ADC plan to engage them?
Bolaji Abdullahi: The ADC is being deliberately structured with young Nigerians at its heart. We have studied where past parties like the PDP got it wrong. This was once the largest party on the African continent, yet it failed to survive even 10 years out of power. How did it become a party that an individual could so easily hijack and destabilize? These are the questions we are determined to answer as we work to rebuild and strengthen the ADC. Our mission is to build a party that no single individual can control, a party that clearly defines what it stands for and requires its elected officials to uphold those values.
For young Nigerians and people in diaspora, the ADC is creating a pipeline of leadership for those with the talent, interest, and commitment to engage in politics. The party offers a platform to nurture their ambitions and provide opportunities to thrive without interference from comrades, godfathers, or anyone dictating what they must do.
In our National Working Committee today, you will find people in their 20s holding real executive positions. For example, our Deputy National Publicity Secretary is just 27, and several other officers are in their 20s. These are not children of the elite; they are ordinary citizens committed to change.
New Daily Prime: As a former Minister of Sports, alongside other prominent figures now in the ADC, many of you have previously served the country or held elected positions. What lessons from those experiences will make this coalition different from other parties and ensure its sustainability?
Bolaji Abdullahi: Well, I touched on this earlier but let me emphasize what we are trying to build in the ADC is an independent party. Remember that in the Second Republic, we had parties like the UPN—a very strong party that exercised real authority over its members.
People who voted for the UPN knew exactly what they were going to get, and at the very least, they could expect free education. From Bendel to Oyo, the UPN consistently delivered on that promise.
Unfortunately, today our parties no longer function that way. Instead, elected officials now declare themselves as leaders of their parties. Governors say they are the leaders in their states; the president claims to be the leader at the national level. This is an aberration and not in keeping with the democratic culture Nigeria needs. The ADC is determined to go back to that era when political parties stood for something and truly belonged to their members, not to a few powerful individuals, governors, or president. And this, I believe, is what makes the critical difference. It does not matter that many of us have been in politics before. You cannot manufacture a new political class overnight, nor can you import politicians from another country.
The question is whether those of us who have played the game since 1999 are now ready to commit to higher standards, to rules laid down by the party, and to accept that the party can discipline anyone who deviates.
That is why we were deliberate in choosing respected figures like Senator David Mark, who is universally trusted across party lines, as one of our leaders.
We also have Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as secretary, and myself as National Publicity Secretary. Personally, I take pride in my track record. Fourteen years after serving as minister, I have never been questioned by the EFCC, never had a corruption allegation hanging over me. The same is true for leaders like David Mark and Aregbesola.
Of course, we are not saints. If you are looking for saints, you go to heaven. Politics is played by men and women, with all their flaws. But what matters is whether we accept that Nigeria faces an existential challenge that requires all of us—even those with imperfections—to play by different rules for the sake of our nation.
The task of nation-building is never complete. It is passed from one generation to the next. Today, politicians across parties are widely distrusted because of past failures. So the biggest challenge we face in the ADC is not even the APC, it is the cynicism of Nigerians who are asking, “How are these people going to be different?” And that is a fair question.
In 2015, Nigerians were promised change, but nothing changed. Now the question is: what will make us different? Our answer is that the ADC is deliberately structured to give young people the opportunity to be part of the solution. As our chairman David Mark has said, young Nigerians must be the heart of this party. That is why, in our leadership structure, you will find not just elder statesmen but also people in their 20s and 30s occupying real executive positions. If we don’t train young people and give them the opportunity to learn from our experience, they will never be in a position to take charge in the future.
New Daily Prime: Finally, what message would you share with Nigerians who feel hopeless about the future?
Bolaji Abdullahi: People will try and fail, others will try and succeed, but we cannot give up because Nigeria will not die with us. All of us, no matter how young or old, will one day pass on and leave this country behind. And as long as Nigeria exists, there will always be the responsibility to make it the great nation it is destined to be.
We are disgraced and embarrassed that Ghanaians are now the ones sending Nigerians home, and that so many of our people believe they cannot succeed within the shores of Nigeria unless they go abroad. This has to stop. We must give young people real reasons to believe, to hope, and to understand that we all share a duty to build this country. Nobody else is going to do it for us but us.
New Daily Prime: Thank you very much for your time and insight. I believe your perspective will go a long way in answering many of the questions our people have been asking. It has been a pleasure speaking with you, and we hope to have your attention again for future engagements.
