Says Nigeria can work for everyone
National Chairman of African Democratic Congress, ADC, Senator David Mark today read the Charter of the emerging opposition party in Nigeria saying the party seeks power not for herself but to make the nation work for a her citizens.
David Mark, former Senate President who stated this in Abuja during the National Working Committee of the Party said the ADC will adhere to Democratic standards in her approach to issues and called on Nigerians to embrace the party and and support her to win the 2027 elections to execute the needed reforms that will make Nigeria to work for all her citizens.
Read the Speech below.
1- We begin with a conviction that Nigeria can, and will, work for everyone — and with a commitment to build a party bigger thank any personality , stronger than any moment and positively different from any party in the annals of our country.
2-What makes the ADC different is simple: we will be a party of purpose and determination, not impulses— an institution that champions democratic values and a culture of accountability and responsibility across its organs and in every government it forms. Our leadership standard is non-negotiable: character. Competence. Courage. Discipline. These four pillars will guide our choices, shape our culture, and anchor our performances.
3-We are a Pan-African, people-oriented, problem -solving movement— sensitive to the needs of the poor and the young, women and men, persons with disabilities, workers, peasants entrepreneurs, retirees, civil society, and the vulnerable. We will convert empathy into policy , and policy into results.
4-Other parties revolve around individuals; the ADC will revolve around rules, policies, programs, people and results. We will insist on team spirit , collaboration , and internal democracy. The supremacy we seek is the supremacy of our constitution and institutions— over everything: Personality, improvisation, and idiosyncrasy.
5- From today, we must adopt an integrity and performance compact.
6-First, open party, open books: independent annual audits published; procurement rules enforced; well articulated conflict -of-interest and gift policies.
7- Second, merit before loyalty: all appointments—party and government—benchmarked to the pillar standard of character , competence , courage, and discipline.
8- Third, clean elections, clean governance: digital , verifiable membership and primaries; candidate rigorous screening before nomination; performance scorecards published quarterly.
9- Fourth, citizens first: service charters in every ADC-led government with timelines, public dashboards, and real feedback mechanisms.
10- Fifth, dignity and inclusion: standing councils for special interest group such as workers, women, Youth, farmers, professionals, retired security officers, educators, persons with disabilities, retirees, civil society, and the vulnerable – represented at the table not as tokens, but as architects of policies and programmes.
11- The ADC will defend the separation of powers, restore legislative and judicial independence, and strengthen oversight so that budgets serve the public interest, not private appetites. We will end the culture of parallel budgets and extra-budgetary maneuvers by enforcing strict and transparent planning, timely appropriations, and rigorous auditing.
12– The judiciary must again be a refuge for every citizen. We will back an independent, efficient, and trusted bench-appointments on merit, transparent case management, time-bound rulings, and a bias for justice over empty technicalities.
13- Nigerians are tired of slogans and statistics that do not translate into their welfare: food, power, jobs, and safety. We will focus on what works. We will pursue price stability and productivity through credible, rules-based coordination of fiscal and monetary policy.
14- We will secure our food supply by supporting farmers and agricultural value chains from inputs and storage to processing and markets. We will back small businesses and industry with affordable, performance-tied credit and local content that creates jobs, not rent. And we will shine a bright light on every naira-no parallel budget , no black-box spending, no sacred cows. Judge us by winat Nigerians feel in their daily lives, rhetorics and bland statistics: lower volatility, more reliable power, visible projects, and decent work.
15- Our foreign policy will be Pan-African-rooted in regional integration and international peace. We will champion trade within Africa, harmonize standards that open markets for Nigerian goods and services, leverage diaspora capital, and build coalitions that keep our sub-region stable and prosperous.
16- The political class has too often served itself. We must change this outdated pattern. We must model a new attitude to leadership across every sphere-public, private, and civic. Let it be said of the ADC that we kept faith with the people, that we were steady under pressure, honest in our dealings, and relentless in delivery. We do not seek power for its own sake; we seek it to build a legacy worthy of our children.
