The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has unveiled an ambitious plan to dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power in the South-West, beginning with the 2026 governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states.

This was disclosed during the inauguration of the party’s South-West Zonal leadership in Ibadan over the weekend.

The newly elected Zonal Chairman, Rahman Owokoniran, decried the prevailing hunger in the country, which he attributed to the ineptitude of both APC and PDP at state and federal levels. He described ADC as the best alternative for voters in 2026 and 2027.

Owokoniran alleged that market women and traders across the region were being coerced to join the ruling APC through intimidation and economic pressure. He claimed that traders faced threats of market raids, arbitrary shop closures, and disruption of their businesses if they refused to align with the party.

He stated, “Market women and men are reportedly being pressured to register with the ruling party under duress, including threats of raiding their markets and locking their shops indiscriminately, thereby preventing them from selling their goods and earning a living.”

He further accused the government of using palliatives as political tools to manipulate loyalty and suppress dissent, rather than genuinely alleviating hardship.

According to Owokoniran, such practices undermine democratic values, erode public trust, and reduce politics to mere survival-based loyalty rather than informed choice. He emphasized that ADC would adopt issue-based mobilisation and grassroots engagement to resist these tendencies.

While acknowledging the South-West’s wealth of talent, resilience, and innovation, he lamented that rising inflation, unemployment, food shortages, and insecurity continued to erode living standards. He stressed that leadership should prioritize service, accountability, and empowerment.

Speaking at the event, ADC Deputy National Chairman, Bamidele Ajadi, urged members to focus on building the party before fielding candidates for elective positions. “A strong party structure produces strong and credible candidates,” he said.

The inauguration also saw the unveiling of other key zonal and national officers, including Bashir Lawal (Assistant National Secretary & South-West Zonal Secretary), Yemisi Afolabi (Deputy National Woman Leader), Olabode Ayorinde (Ex-officio Member), Rotimi Taylor (Deputy National Financial Secretary), Daniel Akene (Deputy National Coordinator – Diaspora), Sidikat Ojo (South-West Zonal Woman Leader), Oluwaseyi Akinde (Assistant National Youth Leader), Babatunde Oke (Director of Communications), and Sakiru Adekoya (Assistant National Organising Secretary).