ADC Chieftain Reveals Why Their Candidates Fell Short in Bye-Elections

Honorable Chille Igbawua, a senior member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has attributed the poor performance of opposition candidates in Saturday’s bye-elections to the fact that these candidates were not directly nurtured by prominent leaders like Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, or Nasir El-Rufai.

Speaking in an interview on Arise News, Igbawua emphasized the importance of both electoral structures and strong personalities in winning elections. He argued that if figures like Peter Obi had been on the ballot, the results would have been significantly different.

“When Peter Obi contested for the presidency in 2023, he didn’t have an established political structure yet managed to win twelve states, including Lagos,” Igbawua noted. “Personality is critically important alongside structures. If Peter Obi or other major leaders like El-Rufai and Atiku had contested in the recent bye-elections, the outcome would have changed.”

He further explained that the candidates fielded by the ADC and other opposition platforms in the bye-elections were not personally supported or nurtured by these prominent politicians, which impacted their chances negatively.

Igbawua also highlighted that the ADC’s performance should be viewed positively, as the party was relatively silent before forming coalitions, yet still managed to make an impact.

This statement comes shortly after a tweet from presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who mocked the opposition’s poor showing by sharing a photo of Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai with the caption, “How is the market now?”

The bye-elections saw the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) securing most of the seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) also recorded some wins. Opposition leaders had used the ADC platform to test their popularity ahead of the 2027 elections.