The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has attributed the failed economic policies to persistent abrupt rollouts without sufficient sequencing and adequate protection for the most vulnerable citizens.
The former President of the Nigerian Senate, who accused the ruling government of prioritising the suppression of opposition parties over addressing issues that matter to Nigerians, assured, however, that the ADC seeks to address these weaknesses through its Policy and Manifesto Committee, which has proposed the Principle of Gradual and Sequenced Reform with Social Cushioning.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, when the Policy and Manifesto Committee of the ADC, chaired by former Edo State Governor John Odigie-Oyegun, presented its report to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ADC, Senator Mark pointed out that one principle that stands out for him is that survival income must not be taxed.
He said: “This reflects a fundamental moral truth. A nation where Nigerians are providing their own electricity, security, and other amenities cannot build prosperity by taxing those who are struggling merely to survive.
“A fair tax system must protect everyday Nigerians by ensuring that the burden of adjustment is carried by those with the greatest capacity to contribute.”
According to the ADC National Chairman, the Committee has also proposed the principle of a legal guarantee of social protection, through a Social Protection Act that will safeguard safety-net programmes from political disruption and ensure continuity across administrations.
“This is important because social protection should not depend on political cycles. It must be institutionalised. On the issue of security, the Committee has correctly identified a major weakness in our current system. Too often, especially around the issues of kidnapping and banditry, arrests are made, but justice does not follow swiftly enough to create deterrence. To address this, the committee has proposed the principle that swift and credible justice outcomes must serve as a deterrence mechanism.
“This is why in their full report, they have recommended that an ADC government will designate kidnapping and banditry as terrorism, which will receive the harshest possible punishment under the law.
“Other key recommendations emerging from the Committee’s work further illustrate the depth of thinking that has gone into this framework. The Committee recommends that at heart of the party’s philosophy of governance is the principle of democratic citizenship — the idea that citizenship is not just an identity, but a qualification for specific rights and responsibilities.
“This is anchored on the belief that Nigeria must be rebuilt so that the citizen becomes the primary pillar and beneficiary of governance. Public institutions must exist to deliver value to citizens, not to serve networks of privilege or political patronage.
“Authority must be exercised as a public trust, and government must be judged by its ability to improve the lives, security, and opportunities of the Nigerian people. These examples illustrate an important point. When we say we are committed to rescuing Nigeria, we are not just talking politics.
“The foundational philosophy of the African Democratic Congress is based on the ideology that Nigeria has a duty to provide leadership to Africa and the entire black race, and the strong conviction that Nigeria can only fulfil this role by investing in the development and empowerment of the Nigerian people. From what I have seen, the ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee have demonstrated a deep understanding of this ideology by making citizenship the centre of their entire recommendations, from economy, to security, health, infrastructure, and governance itself. This is exactly what we asked them to do. But let me say clearly: the work is not finished. The submission of this Interim report marks the end of the first phase of the Committee’s assignment.
“What lies ahead is probably even more important. Now that these principles have been articulated, they must be tested, challenged, refined, and strengthened through broad engagement with the Nigerian people, policy experts, civil society organisations, and stakeholders across the six geopolitical zones. Policies that aspire to guide the future of Nigeria must be grounded in the realities of Nigerians. This process of consultation will ensure that when the African Democratic Congress presents its final manifesto to the country, it will not be a document produced in a vacuum, but one shaped by the aspirations of Nigerians, in line with our philosophy of democratic citizenship.
Our objective is very clear. By the time we approach the 2027 elections, the ADC must stand before the Nigerian people with clarity; with credible solutions; and with a practical pathway to national renewal. Permit me to reiterate that we are not developing this manifesto as just another political requirement or rhetoric.
Instead, this would be the grundnorm from which all our elected officials at any level will derive their operating and governance principles. As I have repeatedly maintained, ADC will not leave it to the discretion of any of its elected officials to decide what to do with power. Therefore, I encourage all those who seek to contest the election on the platform of ADC to show keen interest in the work of this committee.”
He continued, “Having said that, this is not the end of your assignment. It is therefore my hope that the remaining aspects of your work will proceed with urgency so that the final policy framework and manifesto can be completed and presented for adoption at the Party’s National Convention scheduled for April. With that said, let me formally state that on behalf of the National Working Committee of our great party, I hereby receive the Interim Report of the ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee. I commend the Committee for the progress made so far.”
Earlier, the chairman of the committee, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the presentation of the first phase of the report marks a milestone in the journey of ADC towards presenting a credible governing alternative to the Nigerian people.
He said, “We were asked to move the Party from political rhetoric to policy clarity, from aspiration to execution, from opposition to preparedness. Our mandate was straightforward but demanding – develop a coherent, solution-driven policy framework that positions the ADC not merely as a political party, but as a Government-in-waiting.
“Nigeria must rebuild a citizen-centred state. A state where institutions serve citizens, where the economy produces and creates jobs, where security protects communities, and where governance delivers measurable value to the people. This framework is therefore not a catalogue of promises. It is a governing philosophy that the ADC government will adopt.”
