Leaders of the African Democratic Congress gathered in Abuja on Tuesday for the party's 2026 national convention and called for unity and a credible candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar, former governors Rotimi Amaechi and Peter Obi, and other senior figures addressed delegates. Amaechi warned that electoral success required a "strong, widely acceptable candidate," adding, "We did it in APC." He lamented the rise of ethnicity and religion in politics, saying, "Today, religion and ethnicity brought us us here. There is no Muslim market, no Christian market. The market is naira."
Obi urged Nigerians to confront realities with data, noting that the country slipped from fourth to eighth place in the global terrorism ranking. He also highlighted that national debt had risen from N87 trillion to roughly N200 trillion, despite the removal of subsidies, and criticized the low funding of the 2025 budget.
Abubakar appealed to party members and the wider public to secure meaningful change for younger generations, pledging zero tolerance for corruption and a refusal to compromise with criminal or terrorist elements. He framed the struggle as a collective effort to restore democracy and national integrity.
The convention's most striking feature is Amaechi's explicit link between market economics and national unity, encapsulated in his claim that "the market is naira." By shifting the discourse from identity politics to currency value, he challenges the entrenched sectarian calculus that has dominated recent elections.
His remarks arrive as Nigeria's debt burden has more than doubled to about N200 trillion and the country's terrorism ranking has slipped to eighth globally. These figures underscore a fiscal and security environment where divisive politics could exacerbate already fragile conditions.
For ordinary Nigerians, especially the youth and small‑business owners, the call for a "strong, widely acceptable candidate" translates into a demand for policies that stabilise the naira and curb debt‑driven inflation. If the ADC can rally around such a platform, it may offer a pragmatic alternative to voters weary of ethnic and religious vote‑buying.
The emphasis on economic pragmatism reflects a broader trend among opposition parties seeking to reframe electoral competition around performance metrics rather than identity, a shift that could reshape Nigeria's political landscape in the run‑up to 2027.
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