Barr. Solomon Dalung, former minister of youth and sports development and a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says no leader within the party is driven by a personal ambition to become president.
Dalung said the motivation behind their political movement is a collective desire to rescue Nigeria from the grip of poor governance under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former minister said Nigerians are increasingly disillusioned with the APC’s leadership, citing worsening economic hardship and insecurity as key drivers of the public’s search for credible alternatives.
He noted that while many ADC stalwarts are qualified to lead, none of them has declared a presidential ambition ahead of the 2027 elections.
“To the best of my knowledge, none of them has declared presidential ambition.
“If they declare, they are supposed to hold a press conference to inform Nigeria that they intend to run for the highest office in the country, but this has not happened,” he told Nigerian Tribune.
He accused President Bola Tinubu of already being in campaign mode barely a year into office.
His words: “In the past two years, Tinubu has been campaigning. In his one year in office, he launched billboards for 2027.
“In the second year, he introduced the gale of defection. He has been converting most of his functions to rallies.
“The president has been campaigning, and the opposition has just started, so the opposition should be commended. Those declaring now are patriots of this country; the government has distracted itself.”
Dalung said ADC’s ambition to take over power in 2027 is rooted in patriotism and a desire to provide Nigeria with competent, unifying leadership that will correct the “malfunctioning economic policies” of the current government.
He dismissed claims that ADC leaders are only seeking a return to power for selfish reasons, insisting that many of them are credible Nigerians with strong governance track records.
“They are patriotic Nigerians; they have never been president. They might have been governors, and if you want to judge them, you go to their state and check what they have done while in office.
“You cannot say they should not be president because they had been governor before. I think we should judge their performance with their scorecards,” he stated.
Dalung assured that the ADC will present a presidential candidate who aligns with the hopes and sentiments of Nigerians and is capable of challenging the APC at the polls.
“So we are not bothered about the APC propaganda machinery; they are standing on the pedestal of their monumental failure to accuse those who have modest achievements to present to the people,” he added.
