The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said it was compelled to conduct direct primaries nationwide after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ruled out other available options for selecting candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking on the challenges faced during the exercise on ARISE News, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said the ADC had to quickly adjust to the demands of organising a nationwide primary election despite not being fully prepared for such a large-scale process.

“We always knew it was going to be a challenge because it requires an INEC-level logistics to be able to do a nationwide election,” he said.

According to him, the party initially explored a consensus arrangement, but legal complications and ongoing court cases made it impossible to hold the convention needed to ratify such agreements.

“But when the INEC imposed it on us as the only option aside from the consensus, then we had no choice but to brace up for it,” he added.

The spokesman denied claims that the party’s consensus plan had collapsed, insisting that discussions among aspirants were still orderly and guided by internal democratic principles.

He explained that the ADC encourages open debate and negotiation among members rather than imposing candidates from above.

“The ADC is a party that prides itself in contestation, internal contestation of ideas, of positions. We don’t impose,” he stated.

The party also dismissed concerns that the primaries could trigger internal instability, noting that the aspirants involved had agreed to abide by the outcome of the process.

According to the spokesman, the ADC has not received any major complaints regarding the conduct of the primaries so far.

He further rejected suggestions of a faction within the party, arguing that groups making such claims did not meet the constitutional requirements to be recognised as a legitimate faction.

The ADC spokesman also assured Nigerians that the party’s political philosophy would prioritise citizens’ welfare, insisting that future policies under an ADC-led government would focus on improving livelihoods and protecting ordinary people. (The Sun)