The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Nigeria’s Ebonyi State has inaugurated a State Transition Committee to oversee preparations for imminent ward, local government, and state congresses. The move is aimed at strengthening the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections, while leadership warned members against internal sabotage and alleged infiltration by supporters of the ruling state government.
State party leader Sunday Opoke, the ADC’s 2022 governorship candidate, stated the committee’s formation was necessary to reclaim the party from elements he described as “government loyalists” attempting to hijack its operations. Opoke alleged that in several local government areas, individuals parading as ADC executives are political appointees within the Ebonyi State Government, creating confusion and deterring genuine members.
“The ADC emerged to offer credible leadership and restore hope amid national challenges of poverty, insecurity, and bad governance,” Opoke said. He cautioned that any member found working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), or any other party would be expelled. “We are building a transparent structure anchored on good governance and the rule of law,” he added.
The 13-member Transition Committee, inaugurated by Chief Ogbonnia Oko Enyim, is tasked with ensuring orderly congresses and fortifying the party’s presence across all local government areas. Enyim described the committee as a product of “courage and commitment to due process,” emphasizing that the ADC would not be reduced to a platform for personal ambition.
Barrister Solomon Adum, Chairman of the ADC Movement in Ebonyi State, urged members to resist alleged intimidation from the state government and unite behind the party’s ideology. He assured that the ADC would deploy legal means to protect its members and structures.
Founded in 2005, the ADC is a registered national political party that has contested previous elections but holds no significant elected office in Ebonyi. The state leadership insists the new committee is critical to repositioning the party as a viable alternative by 2027, focusing on internal democracy and grassroots mobilization amid Nigeria’s economic and security crises.
The committee is expected to conduct the party’s congresses in the coming months, a process that will determine the leadership that will steer the ADC’s campaign for the 2027 polls. Party officials say the transition aims to ensure the congresses are credible, inclusive, and reflective of the members’ will.
