By Grace Iduma

A political association known as the Coalition Political Action Committee (COPAC) has urged the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to convene a National Candidates Summit without delay.

The group said the summit should be geared towards aligning the party’s candidates and campaign structures with its manifesto, policy agenda and strategic messaging ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The call was contained in a communiqué issued after the COPAC’s 2026 Democracy Day meeting and signed by its Director of Communications, Olu Onemola.

According to the group, the summit should be organised by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ADC, led by National Chairman Senator David Mark, in collaboration with the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

COPAC said the ADC’s growing national profile and emergence as a major opposition platform made it necessary for all candidates, from the presidential level to governorship, National Assembly and state assembly contests, to project a common vision and message to Nigerians.

The committee noted that the proposed summit would help candidates gain a deeper understanding of the party’s manifesto, strengthen message discipline, harmonise campaign strategies and present a coherent alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Electoral success requires message discipline, policy clarity and strategic coherence,” the communiqué stated, stressing that Nigerians deserve a consistent articulation of the ADC’s solutions to the country’s challenges.

COPAC warned that disjointed campaign messaging could weaken the party’s electoral prospects and urged its leadership to ensure that all candidates operate within a unified strategic framework.

The committee also identified reconciliation within the party as a key priority ahead of the elections.

It called on the ADC leadership to initiate a comprehensive reconciliation process involving aggrieved aspirants, candidates, stakeholders and party leaders nationwide.

It argued that no political party could effectively prosecute a national campaign while grappling with unresolved internal disputes.

Former vice president and ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was represented at the event by Hon Nnenna Ukeje, a former member of the House of Representatives who  delivered Atiku’s address

Other dignitaries at the event include;  the party’s governorship candidate in Kwara State, Zakari Mohammed, and the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

Among the speakers at the event were chairman of the Governing Council of Rise Up Nigeria (RUN), Salihu Tanko Yakassai; economic policy expert, Jude Feranmi; Zainab Buba Galadima; and Atiku’s aide, Demola Olanrewaju,

COPAC also adopted resolutions aimed at increasing the ADC’s visibility in national discourse, expanding youth participation in party activities, and safeguarding democratic freedoms and civil liberties.

Participants stressed the need to mobilise support for what they described as a credible alternative to the APC-led Federal Government.

In his opening remarks, COPAC Convener, Engineer Aminu Datti Ahmad, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to strengthening the ADC as a platform for democratic renewal and national transformation.