The African Democratic Congress (ADC) formally unveiled its coalition partners in Delta State on Saturday, launching a campaign aimed at tackling the nation’s severe economic and governance crises and reclaiming “Nigeria’s lost glory.”
The coalition unveiling ceremony, held in Asaba, featured strong rhetoric against the current state of affairs, with party leaders urging Nigerians to unite under the ADC banner as a credible alternative political platform.
▌Lamenting National Distress
Mr. Austine Okolie, the ADC Chairman in Delta State, delivered a scathing assessment of the country’s condition, stressing the urgent need for Nigeria to “rise and shine again and take its rightful place as the pride and giant of Africa.”
Okolie lamented that virtually “every sector of the country’s economy was in distress,” pointing to declining human capital development, widespread hunger, and pervasive insecurity.
“Our roads are crumbling, power supply is unstable, healthcare is unaffordable, education is underfunded, unemployment is fueling crime, and our infrastructure is decaying,” Okolie stated. He concluded that “Leadership failure has become a norm,” questioning how the nation arrived at this point of neglect.
▌A Message of Hope and Redemption
Despite the grim assessment, Okolie urged Nigerians not to lose hope, positioning the ADC as the answer, offering “hope, credibility, and purposeful leadership.”
He maintained that the party is determined to “restore the soul of the nation,” calling on Deltans and all well-meaning Nigerians to join the “national rescue mission” under the ADC, which he dubbed “the only credible alternative political platform.”
“We cannot achieve this by sitting on the fence. There is strength in unity,” Okolie added, noting that the people have now united under the ADC to redeem the image and dignity of the nation with the mantra, “Arise and Shine Nigeria.”
▌High-Profile Support and Electoral Ambitions
The event also featured notable political figures lending their support to the movement. Lauretta Onochie, former Special Assistant on Digital and Social Media to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and former Chairman of the NDDC Board, emphasized that the ADC is more than just a political party—it is a movement.
“Our vision is to build a country where leadership is responsible, where institutions are strengthened and where every Nigerian is safe,” Onochie stated, affirming that Nigeria is “worth fighting for.”
Speaking on behalf of the newly formed coalition, Chief Julius Akpovoka, a former House of Representatives aspirant, expressed confidence in the party’s electoral chances. Akpovoka revealed that the coalition has immediately boosted the ADC’s membership in the state to over 200,000.
“We will do more to ensure that we have more than 500,000 members and once we have that, we are home and dry,” Akpovoka declared, asserting the coalition’s determination to win the 2027 general election.
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