Speaking under the platform of the African Democratic Youth Congress (ADYC) at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the group maintained that regardless of who emerges as the next INEC chairman, the ADC is determined to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
“Politics is about numbers. They can bring all the money they want, but we will still defeat them in 2027,” the group said.
The youths further mocked suggestions of partisan influence, declaring: “Even if Tinubu appoints his media aide, Bayo Onanuga, as INEC chairman, the ADC will still prevail. Nigerians are ready to defend their votes from the polling units to the final collation centres.”
The ADYC leaders, including National Coordinator Ruqayya Lamido Dodo, Director-General Murtala Haliru Dantoro, and Joshua Nweke Anioma, accused the ruling party of perpetuating vote-buying, describing last Saturday’s bye-elections as “a show of shame.”
Dantoro lamented the situation in Niger State, where he claimed voters were induced with as little as ₦2,000.
“It is heartbreaking to see democracy reduced to cash-and-carry. Our decisions as citizens are no longer respected,” he said, urging President Tinubu to ensure the next INEC leadership prioritizes integrity over partisan interests.
Mrs. Dodo, in her remarks, criticized the persistent sidelining of young Nigerians in politics, declaring that the ADYC is committed to changing the narrative.
“For decades, we have been called the ‘leaders of tomorrow.’ That phrase has become a polite way to exclude us from today’s decisions. Our generation is tired of being spectators in a nation that belongs to us,” she said.
She described the ADYC as the “engine room” of the ADC, tasked with driving transparency, accountability, and inclusion in Nigeria’s political system. The group announced plans to expand its grassroots mobilization by setting up local chapters, community projects, and digital outreach programs aimed at empowering young Nigerians as “agents of change.”
“Our message is simple,” the youth leaders concluded. “We refuse to inherit a broken system. We are here to fix it, and in 2027, Nigerians will see a new political order led by the African Democratic Congress.”
