ADC Admits Failures, Blames Weak Funding, Incumbency Power for Election Losses

|By Adejumo Adekunle

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has openly acknowledged its defeat in recent elections, with its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, admitting that internal weaknesses and external pressures crippled the party’s chances.

Speaking at the party’s ongoing national convention on Tuesday, Aregbesola revealed that the ADC lost the November 25 Anambra State governorship election and the February 26 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory due to a combination of structural and systemic challenges.

He pointed directly to the power of incumbency, monetisation of the electoral process, and misuse of state resources by opponents as key factors that tilted the contest against the party.

“Our party participated in the 2025 Anambra State and the February 26 FCT local government election,” Aregbesola stated. “We were not victorious for various reasons, including the fact that our opponents deployed incumbency advantage, monetisation, and state power.”

Beyond external forces, the former governor did not shy away from confronting internal lapses, admitting that the party grappled with poor funding and an unprepared political structure.

“On our side, we suffered from inadequate funding and the general non-readiness of our structure,” he said.

Despite the setbacks, Aregbesola declared that the party has absorbed critical lessons and is now repositioning ahead of future contests, particularly the upcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

Meanwhile, results from the FCT Area Council elections further highlighted the ADC’s struggle, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured five out of six seats, leaving only one for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The ADC’s candid admission signals a shift toward internal reform as the party seeks to rebuild its strength and compete more effectively in Nigeria’s evolving political landscape.