The national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Sen. David Mark, has said the party is committed to producing policies and a manifesto that are practical and people-centred, capable of responding to Nigeria’s deepening economic and social challenges.
Mark gave the assurance in Abuja on Monday while inaugurating the 50-member ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee.
Other members of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led committee include Prof. Pat Utomi (Deputy Chairman) and Salihu Lukman (Secretary), alongside former Bauchi State APC governorship candidate, Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar (rtd), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Dr Usman Bugaje, Prof. Anthony Kila, Pastor Funke Awowolo, Madam Jumoke Olawuyi, and Prof. Sam Amadi, among others.
The National Chairman said the assignment before the committee was not a routine party activity but a responsibility arising from the ADC’s claim to offer Nigerians a credible alternative at a time of widespread hardship.
He cautioned committee members against equating complexity with effectiveness, urging them to focus on addressing root causes rather than surface symptoms.
According to Mark, policies should be judged by their impact on the daily lives of citizens, not by their technical sophistication.
Mark criticised what he described as a policy culture that prioritises reports, committees and white papers without producing tangible outcomes.
He said such approaches often remain academic exercises detached from the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians.
He said the committee’s task went beyond drafting proposals, charging members to engage with farmers, traders, workers, parents and young people across the country.
He urged them to test every recommendation against a basic standard, whether it reduces hardship or merely redistributes it.
“The question should always be whether a policy eases suffering or shifts it from one group to another,” Mark said.
Responding, the Chairman of the ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the party’s policy direction would represent a clear break from decades of ineffective governance.
He assured Nigerians that the ADC would not operate on a “business as usual” basis if entrusted with power.
Odigie-Oyegun said the committee clearly understood the seriousness of its assignment, describing it as a responsibility rather than a ceremonial exercise.
He said the directive from the party leadership made it clear that governance under the ADC must be fundamentally different from existing practices.
He said Nigerians were watching the ADC closely, having lost confidence in other political platforms, and were eager to see whether the party could offer a genuine alternative.
According to him, the committee’s task was to develop policies and a manifesto that would function as a binding social contract between the party and the Nigerian people.
He noted that successive governments had spent trillions of naira with little improvement in living conditions, attributing the failure to a political culture in which manifestos are quickly abandoned after elections.
Odigie-Oyegun stressed that the ADC must ensure its policies reflect the everyday realities of citizens, including how people live and earn a living.
He also warned against a system in which elected officials become untouchable once in office, arguing that the party must retain the capacity to guide and restrain those elected on its platform.
“We must not let them become emperors,” he said, adding that the party must remain relevant to the people who place it in power.
He said the manifesto being developed must be written in clear language that ordinary Nigerians can understand and relate to, noting that faithful implementation could help redefine the country’s political culture.
Addressing internal party issues, while outlining how the ADC intends to enforce discipline and accountability, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed reports of congresses being conducted within the party, saying no such exercises had taken place.
He explained that the party only approved the filling of vacancies where they existed and that the tenure of current party executives had not expired.
“The directive was that where there are vacancies in the existing structure, those vacancies should be filled,” he said, adding that congresses would be conducted transparently and inclusively when due.
He warned that any actions taken outside the party’s official processes would not be recognised.
Abdullahi said producing a manifesto alone was insufficient, noting that the real challenge lay in ensuring that any ADC-led government adheres strictly to its policy commitments.
He said the party was developing mechanisms that would allow Nigerians to hold such a government accountable.
He noted that since the party announced its coalition arrangement several months ago, Nigerians had repeatedly asked what would distinguish the ADC from existing parties.
According to him, the policy and manifesto process was the party’s response.
Abdullahi said the ADC aimed to show that it is possible to take difficult decisions while still protecting citizens from hardship, adding that aspirants seeking the party’s ticket would be required to demonstrate a clear understanding of, and commitment to, its manifesto.
Other members of the party include Prof. Pat Utomi, who will serve as Deputy Chairman, and Salihu Lukman as Secretary.
Other members of the committee include former Bauchi State APC governorship candidate, Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar (rtd), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Dr Usman Bugaje, Prof. Anthony Kila, Pastor Funke Awowolo, Madam Jumoke Olawuyi, and Prof. Sam Amadi, among others.
