The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Senator David Mark, has warned that the party will comply with electoral rules but will resist any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections or rig it out of the contest.
Mark issued the warning on Wednesday in Abuja when he received the Governing Council of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, led by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, at the ADC national headquarters.
The Council of the Wise, as the governing council is known, was at the party secretariat as part of its ongoing engagement with political parties and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ariwoola said the Centre was seeking the commitment of political parties and their candidates to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.
He also urged the ADC leadership to ensure that its candidates and supporters complied with the rules of the Independent National Electoral Commission and avoided conduct capable of triggering political violence.
Responding, Mark said the ADC was prepared to abide by the rules governing the elections and the party’s own code of conduct, but would not accept electoral manipulation.
“We hold ourselves to the highest standards of good conduct as a political party. We will play by the rules. But we will not accept rigging or allow ourselves to be rigged out.
“We are committed to playing politics in a manner that promotes public confidence in democracy,” he said.
He added that the party would comply with INEC’s guidelines as well as the provisions of its Orange Book, which sets out the party’s code of conduct and governance principles.
The former Senate President had previously warned against the use of state institutions to manipulate the 2027 elections, saying the credibility of the polls must be protected.
The latest warning came as the Savannah Centre intensifies consultations with political actors and other stakeholders ahead of the elections.
The Council of the Wise, chaired by Ariwoola, was reconstituted in June with a mandate to promote peaceful, free and credible elections and engage key institutions and political actors.
The Council’s recent engagements have included meetings with presidential candidates and other political stakeholders, with repeated calls for adherence to electoral rules, issue-based campaigns and the prevention of violence and hate speech.
Ariwoola’s delegation to the ADC included members of the Council of the Wise, among them Professors Abdullahi Shehu and Azeez Dankano, Executive Director of the Centre, Ambassador Sani Bala, Mr Tunji Lardner and Ambassador Godswill Ighali.
The ADC leadership told the delegation that its commitment to peaceful democratic participation would not be in doubt, but insisted that compliance with the rules must be matched by a credible electoral process.
The party has in recent months repeatedly called for transparent and inclusive elections and warned against manipulation, intimidation and the abuse of state institutions.
For the Savannah Centre, the stakeholder engagements are part of broader efforts to build consensus among political actors on the need for peaceful participation and credible elections in 2027.
The Centre had earlier said the Council of the Wise would engage the President, INEC leadership, political parties, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups and other stakeholders ahead of the elections.
The ADC’s latest position places electoral integrity alongside peaceful participation as a central concern in its preparations for the 2027 polls, with Mark insisting that the party would respect the rules while defending its right to compete on an equal footing.