ADC Youth Wing Warns Tinubu Against Manipulating INEC Succession

With the tenure of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, set to expire in December, the youth wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against manipulating the process of appointing his successor.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday under the banner of the African Democratic Youth Congress (ADYC), the youths declared that regardless of who becomes the next INEC chairman, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would be defeated in the 2027 elections.

“Politics is about numbers. They can bring all the money they want, but we will still defeat them in 2027,” the group stated.

In a veiled reference to Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, the youths said:
“On INEC, if Tinubu so wishes, he can make Bayo Onanuga the chairman. But we in ADC, come 2027, will make INEC do the needful. We have had enough.

We are going to defend our votes from the polling units to the final collation centre. They can bring trillions of naira—we will collect the money, but we will still vote ADC.”

The ADYC urged Tinubu to prioritise Nigeria’s interest when selecting the next electoral chief, stressing the need for an appointee with “integrity and patriotism rather than partisan bias.”

Leading figures of the youth group at the meeting included National Coordinator, Ruqayya Lamido Dodo; Director-General, Murtala Haliru Dantoro; and members Joshua Nweke Anioma, among others.

Dantoro described the just-concluded bye-elections as “a show of shame,” citing widespread vote-buying as evidence of Nigeria’s worsening democratic practices.

“In Niger State, they were paying people as low as N2,000. What happened was heartbreaking. To be in a country where we cannot make decisions freely is unfortunate,” he said.

He urged the president to take note of the irregularities, warning that persistent electoral malpractice could undermine public trust in democracy.

Mrs Dodo, on her part, stressed that young Nigerians were weary of being marginalised in governance.

“For decades, we have been called the ‘leaders of tomorrow,’ a phrase that has become little more than a polite way to sideline us from today’s critical decisions. Our generation is tired of being spectators in a nation that belongs to us,” she declared.

Dodo added that the ADYC was spearheading a new movement to “re-engineer Nigeria’s political landscape” by promoting transparency, accountability, and inclusion.

She emphasised that the youth wing was not waiting for tomorrow, but actively building a new Nigeria today.

The group also unveiled its strategy of grassroots mobilisation across states, local governments, and communities.

“We are not interested in a top-down approach,” the ADYC leaders said. “Our plan is to grow a nationwide movement from the grassroots up, empowering young people to become agents of change.

We are setting up local chapters and organising community development projects while using both traditional and digital platforms to spread our message of hope and action.”