The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has declared that the party will not allow itself to be rigged out in the coming elections.
Senator Mark made this statement during a courtesy visit by the Governing Council of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development to the party headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
The Council, led by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, said the courtesy call was part of the Centre’s ongoing stakeholder engagements with political parties and political leaders ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The retired justice expressed the Centre’s commitment to promoting free, fair, and credible elections and urged the ADC leadership to encourage its candidates and members to comply with INEC’s rules and eschew all forms of political violence.
In his response, Senator Mark declared the ADC’s commitment to playing by the rules.
“We are committed to playing politics in a manner that promotes public confidence in democracy,” he said.
He also emphasised that the party would comply with INEC’s rules guiding the elections, as well as the ADC’s code of conduct, articulated in its Orange Book. He said the party would, however, not accept rigging.
“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 concluded.
Justice Ariwoola’s entourage 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 Executive Director, Ambassador Sani Bala; Mr Tunji Lardner; and Ambassador Godknows Igali, among others.
