My Fellow Leaders and Patriots,
We stand today at a defining crossroads, not only for our great party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), but for the future of our beloved nation. History has placed a solemn responsibility in our hands, and how we respond will determine whether Nigeria continues its drift or begins a deliberate march toward renewal.
In moments such as this, leadership is best demonstrated by example. That is why I draw deep inspiration from the work of our out going Deputy National Chairman and ADC-DN, Dr. Kenneth Gbandi, whose grassroots-driven mobilization in Delta State speaks louder than any speech or slogan. He is not waiting for momentum; he is creating it, engaging stakeholders directly, strengthening party structures, and championing transparent and credible elections. This is the work that builds trust. This is the work that wins nations.
Dr. Gbandi’s example confronts each of us with an unavoidable question: We all have a state, what are we doing to advance the ADC in our own states?
This is not a season for spectatorship. The historic convergence of major opposition figures into the ADC has opened a rare and powerful window, an opportunity to halt the dangerous slide toward a one-party state and to present Nigerians with a credible, united alternative. Across the country and throughout the Diaspora, the movement is gaining traction. Party structures are being consolidated. Hope is stirring once again.
But hope alone does not build a party. Our mission is clear and uncompromising: to reengineer Nigeria’s political culture, away from the suffocating grip of money politics and godfatherism, and toward a system anchored on Transparency, Accountability, Inclusion, and Leadership. This mission will not be won solely in Abuja or a few state capitals. It will be won in the wards, the communities, and the local governments where the people live, work, and vote.
I have said before that everyone must do their best. Today, I say this plainly: we must do more.
Let us emulate the hands-on leadership of Dr. Gbandi. Let us roll up our sleeves and mobilize relentlessly at the grassroots, where elections are truly decided. Let us articulate clearly and consistently the ADC vision for a better, fairer Nigeria and let us build bridges and forge alliances, welcoming new members with openness and purpose into our growing family.
The ADC is steadily emerging as the principal opposition platform capable of delivering a New Nigeria. Yet we must remember the wisdom of our people: “Àtẹ́wọ́ ni á fi ń dé ọ̀pà ẹjà”, it is the hand that bends the crawfish.
Progress is not accidental. Victory is not inherited. History bends only when committed hands apply deliberate effort. Each state we organize, each ward we strengthen, and each citizen we convince becomes a firm grip on the future.
Let us be those hands. Let us bend history toward justice, prosperity, and true democracy.
The time is now.
The charge is ours.
Forward, for a New Nigeria.
Chief Dr. Peter Mozie is Chairman of the ADC-DN Americas, former deputy Director President Jonathan’s Presidential Campaign Organization (PCO) and the Global Chairman of the All Nigerian Nationals in the Diaspora (ANNID), and a leading voice for diaspora political engagement and democratic reform in Nigeria.
