ABUJA, NIGERIA – The internal machinery of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has advanced significantly toward the upcoming electoral cycle. The factional leadership of the party, under the guidance of Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, has announced the successful completion of its nationwide screening exercise, officially clearing a total of 1,657 aspirants to participate in the party’s forthcoming primary elections across all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The leadership of the political platform maintained that the rigorous screening process was conducted in a transparent, credible, and orderly manner, aligning fully with core democratic principles and institutional accountability.
In an official corporate statement issued on Friday, May 22, 2026, the ADC National Chairman, Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, disclosed that specialized screening committees were independently constituted and deployed to all states and the FCT. This strategic deployment was executed in strict accordance with the provisions of the party’s internal constitution and approved electoral guidelines to ensure uniform standards across the country.
While the vast majority of applicants successfully navigated the vetting process, the party high command revealed that it disqualified 212 aspirants, deeming them ineligible to participate in the upcoming primary contests for failing to meet the stipulated screening requirements.
Hon. Gombe emphasized that the party maintained a strict stance on documentation and eligibility, stressing that only aspirants who completely met both the constitutional criteria of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the electoral requirements of the ADC were cleared to advance to the next stage.
“In accordance with the Constitution of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the party’s electoral guidelines, the national leadership constituted screening committees across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,” Gombe stated in his comprehensive report to party members. “These committees were mandated to conduct the screening exercise for all aspirants seeking to contest for elective offices in the forthcoming primary elections.”
Reviewing the data generated from the exercise, the factional chairman noted that a total of 1,869 aspirants originally purchased expression of interest forms and presented themselves physically before the various evaluation panels. The clearance of 1,657 candidates leaves the party with a robust field of contenders across various legislative and executive cadres.
Hon. Gombe provided a detailed breakdown of the structural discrepancies that led to the disqualification of the unsuccessful 212 individuals, pointing to a lack of administrative diligence on the part of the affected politicians.
According to the party chairman, the primary reasons for disqualification included significant inconsistencies in declared dates of birth, glaring discrepancies in academic graduation years relative to historical timelines, an inability to present authentic, verifiable party membership cards, and general non-compliance with the explicitly stipulated operational guidelines published by the national secretariat.
The legislative categories saw varying levels of attrition during the vetting process:
State House of Assembly: Out of 980 aspirants who appeared before the panels, 155 were disqualified due to documentation flaws.
House of Representatives:50 prospective federal lawmakers failed to meet the baseline requirements.
Senate: 7 upper chamber aspirants were unsuccessful in passing the compliance check.
The successful conclusion of the screening exercise sets the stage for a highly competitive round of primary elections within the Gombe-led faction. Despite the ongoing leadership friction within the broader ADC structure, this administrative milestone indicates that the faction is determined to field a complete slate of validated candidates ahead of the general elections.
