National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has warned that there must be no internal sabotage as the party prepares for the 2027 general elections.
Mark who spoke on Wednesday at the inauguration of National Reconciliation and Peace to reconcile members who felt aggrieved after the party’s primaries, said ADC should not go into the election as a divided house.
“Our real challenge is not the ADC member who contested against you. Our real challenge is to build a united political platform capable of winning the confidence of Nigerians in 2027.
“Let us forgive where necessary, apologise where required, correct what must be corrected and rebuild the confidence that may have been lost.
“The ADC must demonstrate internally the kind of Nigeria we seek to build externally: a Nigeria where differences are managed with maturity, diversity is respected and disputes are resolved peacefully,” he said.
The former President of the Senate, advised members of the party to avoid politics of revenge, warning that there should be no permanent winners and no permanent losers but a united ADC.
“We are one political family,” Mark stated, adding that the 2027 general elections would require a disciplined, coordinated and united ADC.
“We cannot afford to approach that election as a divided house. We must coordinate our structures, respect our democratic processes and resolve our differences without destroying the institution we have collectively built,” he added.
Mark therefore called on the aggrieved members to give reconciliation a chance, and enjoined the successful candidates to extend a hand of fellowship to fellow contestants.
“The ADC is bigger than any individual, aspirant, candidate or office.
“Our Handshake Philosophy requires us to reach across differences, extend the hand of fellowship and build bridges,” he said.
He charged the Senator Tunde Ogbeha-led reconciliation committee to “engage aspirants, candidates, party leaders and stakeholders in constructive dialogue to identify grievances, address legitimate concerns and rebuild trust.”
According to him, the committee should promote responsible communication and discourage inflammatory statements, unnecessary litigation and actions capable of deepening divisions.
He however admitted that members have the constitutional right to seek justice, but added that where disputes could be resolved through dialogue and internal mechanisms, those avenues should be given priority.
“No political structure, relationship, experience or commitment developed during the primaries should be wasted,” Mark told the committee, and asked them to recommend practical measures for the integration of unsuccessful aspirants and their supporters into the party’s structures.
“This committee is therefore not merely about resolving political disagreements. It is about strengthening the character, unity and capacity of the ADC as we prepare for the historic responsibility before us.
“Members of the committee, I charge you to build bridges, heal wounds, restore confidence and bring our members together.
“Let us put the disagreements of yesterday behind us, unite around the opportunities of today and work together for our country and her people,” the National Chairman advised.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ogbeha, called for sacrifice, and called on aggrieved and the non-aggrieved members to put the party first.
“We will do what is humanly possible to ensure that we dispense justice, try to reconcile as much as possible, and we beg that our aggrieved members should please try to sacrifice to be tolerant.
“We are going to be honest. We are going to be transparent and as much as possible, do the best we can to reconcile our party, and we ensure that this party is supreme to other individual interest,” Ogbeha assured.
Senator Ogbeha stated that the committee’s responsibility is not just healing the wounds but to achieve the objective of changing the narrative in Nigeria by winning the next election.
