The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has inaugurated a National Reconciliation and Peace Committee to heal divisions, rebuild trust and unify members ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Today marks an important step in strengthening our Party, healing wounds, rebuilding trust and ensuring that every member of the ADC feels valued and carried along,” he said.

Mark acknowledged that while the primaries produced winners, they also left behind disappointments.

“Our recently concluded primaries produced winners, but they also produced disappointments and grievances. These are realities we must acknowledge and address. An election may determine who carries the flag, but it must never determine who belongs to the Party,” he said.

He urged victorious candidates to avoid exclusion, and called on those who lost to remain committed to the party.

“Those who did not emerge victorious remain valuable members of the ADC. Their experience, networks, structures and commitment remain important assets. Equally, those who emerged victorious must recognise that victory comes with responsibility. It is not a license to exclude, humiliate or marginalise others.”

“Our real challenge is not the ADC member who contested against you. Our real challenge is to build a united political platform capable of winning the confidence of Nigerians in 2027.”

Committee’s Mandate

The National Chairman said the Committee was established in line with Article 9.1 of the ADC Constitution and Article 6.3 on the party’s “Handshake Philosophy” of building bridges across differences.

The terms of reference include engaging aspirants, candidates and stakeholders in dialogue, discouraging inflammatory statements and litigation, and recommending measures for integrating unsuccessful aspirants into party structures.

“The Committee shall: Engage aspirants, candidates, party leaders and stakeholders in constructive dialogue to identify grievances, address legitimate concerns and rebuild trust,” Mark stated.

“Promote responsible communication and discourage inflammatory statements, unnecessary litigation and actions capable of deepening divisions… Recommend practical m
easures for the integration of unsuccessful aspirants and their supporters into the Party’s structures. No
structure, relationship, experience or commitment developed during the primaries should be wasted.”

He also directed the Committee to establish Zonal Sub-Committees for continuous engagement and monitoring.

‘No Internal Sabotage, No Politics Of Revenge’

Mark appealed to leaders, state chairmen, zonal coordinators and candidates to support the process and act as “ambassadors of reconciliation.”

“There must be no internal sabotage. No politics of revenge. No permanent winners and no permanent losers. We are one political family,” he said.

“The 2027 General Elections will require a disciplined, coordinated and united ADC. We cannot afford to approach that election as a divided house.”

He urged aggrieved members to give reconciliation a chance, successful candidates to extend fellowship, and leaders to lead by example.

“The ADC must demonstrate internally the kind of Nigeria we seek to build externally: a Nigeria where differences are managed with maturity, diversity is respected and disputes are resolved peacefully,” Mark added.

“Members of the Committee, I charge you to build bridges, heal wounds, restore confidence and bring our members together.”

In his acceptance speech, the newly inaugurated Chairman of the ADC National Reconciliation and Peace Committee, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, urged aggrieved members to make sacrifices for the unity of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ogbeha said the committee accepts the “enormous responsibility” placed on it and will work to heal wounds caused by the party’s recent primaries.

“It is with great honour and privilege that, on behalf of members of the committee, that we accept to serve as members of the reconciliation and peace committee of the African Democratic Congress,” Ogbeha said.

“We are aware of the enormous responsibility that has been placed on us, and we will do all that is humanly possible to achieve the objectives.”

The former senator said the committee’s mandate goes beyond resolving disputes to rebuilding trust within the party.

“According to the chairman’s speech, we must listen to their grief, try to reconcile, try to heal the wounds and build trust amongst our members,” he stated.

“There is no doubt that injury have been caused in one way or the other through primaries and other working structures in our respective states, but it’s not impossible that these issues can be arrested and will work in the interest of the party.”

Ogbeha appealed to aggrieved members to prioritize the party and the country above personal ambition.

“What we will require of our members is sacrifice… We will appeal to their grief, that they should consider the sacrifice of the party which is most supreme,” he said.

“Both on the members, the aggrieved and the non-aggrieved, we have a responsibility to put our party first, or let me say that we put Nigeria first, then the party and ourselves last.”

The Committee Chairman also called for tolerance, noting that political opportunities will come again.

“We beg that our aggrieved members should please try to sacrifice to be tolerant, and note that this election is not going to be the last. It’s not going to be the first. If we don’t succeed in what we are looking for this time around, four years is not too long. There will be another opportunity to present yourself,” Ogbeha said.

He added that the committee will be guided by honesty, transparency and justice in its work.

“On behalf of members of this committee, I want to say that we uphold the tenets of the oath we have taken. We are going to be honest. We are going to be transparent and as much as possible, do the best we can to reconcile our party, and we ensure that this party is supreme to other individual interest,” he said.

“As the chairman has said, our responsibility is not just healing wounds, our responsibility is to ensure that we achieve our objective of changing the narrative in Nigeria by winning the next election.”

Ogbeha assured the party leadership that the committee will “do all that it takes to ensure that reconciliation and peace are achieved… with due diligence, with the fear of God, and the interest of the country and party.”

He thanked the National Chairman, and the National Working Committee (NWC) for the confidence reposed in the committee.

Also in the committee are Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor – (South-South, Deputy Chairman); Dr Ahmad Ajuji (North-East, Member); Barr Musa Elayo (North Central, Member); Senator Andrew Uchendu (South-South, Member); Dr Bon Unachukwu (South-Easth, Member); Mr. Kunle Ige (South-West, Member); Hon. Hajia Rabi Sule (North-East, Member); Hon. Abubakar Kanike; A. Peter Oyewale Esq. (Secretary); Isaac Dare Oketade (Deputy Secretary); and six Zonal Legal Advisers who will liaise in their respective zones.