The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says it will prioritise youth and women by allocating 50 per cent of elective and appointive positions to them.

Rauf Aregbesola, the party’s national secretary, stated this in Lagos during the affirmation of the PDP, Labour Party, and other members who defected to ADC.

Delivering a speech titled “When Good People Unite, Nigerians Win”, Mr Aregbesola, a former Osun governor and Minister of Interior, called ADC the party of the youth and one committed to rescuing Nigeria.

He said, “ADC constitution boldly affirms the place of youth and women in leadership. This is not tokenism but a recognition that Nigeria’s future lies in giving voice, space, and power to those who have long been underrepresented.

“The ADC’s constitution allocates 35 per cent representation each for women and youth. Since these demographics overlap, their combined representation will be no less than 50 per cent. This structure makes the ADC unquestionably the party of the youth,” Mr Aregbesola said.

According to him, ADC is not controlled by one person but a collective of patriotic citizens seeking to rebuild the nation.

He decried the hardship and uncertainty in the country, necessitating the ADC’s timely intervention, urging members to act decisively to save the country.

“No government could survive without prioritising citizens’ welfare,” he said, adding that leadership must meet the basic needs of the people.

“This is not tokenism, but recognition that Nigeria’s future lies with giving voice, space, and power to the underrepresented,” he said.

Mr Aregbesola warned that any form of government that fails to serve the people would lose legitimacy and collapse with time.

The former governor told the new members that ADC’s mission is to build a nation that future generations would be proud to inherit.

He urged members to focus on expanding the party’s base and avoid wasting time engaging political opponents.

“Let’s sell our ideas to the people and ignore the distractions of dying political structures,” he said.

He noted that both PDP and APC have lost vision and been reduced to ordinary power-seeking political platforms.

“We must not repeat the mistakes of APC and PDP. Let us build a people-oriented party from scratch,” he said.

Earlier, Abimbola Ogunkelu, a PDP BoT member, led the group of defectors and said the movement signalled a new era of progressive politics.

Mr Ogunkelu said the coalition aimed to mobilise grassroots participation and provide trustworthy leadership that Nigerians can believe in.

Also speaking, Segun Osho, who led some Labour Party members, said their movement was necessary to rescue Nigeria.

ADC chieftain Kolawole Ogunwale called on members to work with unity and commitment for the party’s success.

“Don’t just support ADC by mouth. Be committed in action and purpose,” Mr Ogunwale said.

The defectors included former Lagos PDP chairmen, Muritala Ashorobi and Tunji Shelle. Others were PDP vice chairman (Lagos Central), Tai Benedict; Niyi Adams; and ex-youth leader, among other party stalwarts.

ADC Lagos chairman, George Ashiru, presented the party’s flag, logo, and statement of purpose to Mr Ogunkelu.

(NAN)