The ADC’s Rising Ambition in Benue—Between Promise and Pitfalls -By Leonard Karshima Shilgba

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) made a bold and calculated move on July 9, 2025, unveiling itself formally to the political landscape of Benue State. This event, hailed as a success by party insiders, is notable not merely for its symbolism but for the political weight of the personalities rallying behind it.

The appreciation message released by the State Chapter names over 40 prominent political figures and technocrats, including former Senate President HE Sen. David Mark (who was recently unveiled as the National Interim Chairman of ADC), former Governor HE Dr. Gabriel Suswam (as State Leader), and former Deputy Governor HE Benson Abounu. This is no ragtag coalition of fringe actors. Instead, the ADC in Benue appears to be curating a blend of political experience, regional balance, gender representation, and technocratic credibility.

The Strengths: A Coalition of the Disenchanted and the Determined

One of ADC’s primary strengths lies in its strategic timing and coalition building. In the wake of mounting disillusionment with both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the ADC seems to be positioning itself as a credible alternative—a political “third force” capable of channeling public anger into electoral advantage. While some see political disillusionment as a negative, derisively labelling disillusioned politicians “Politically Displaced Persons”, they fail to realize that disillusionment is a motivation and politics is a numbers game. After all, is the ruling APC not an outcome of political disillusionment? Every invention is a result of disillusionment with the status quo, and they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Is there not a cause?

Many of the party’s newly aligned figures have served in both PDP and APC-led administrations. Their migration to the ADC signals not just a protest against internal party dysfunctions but a possible ideological reawakening. With the likes of Dr. Paul Angya, Dr. Tivlumun Nyitse, Prof. David Salifu, and Prof. Terhemba Shija, the party’s technocratic base could lend substance to policy discourse in an environment long fatigued by shallow sloganeering. The ADC must consciously be different in structure, organization, policy, and DNA. It must not alienate the majority by overpricing its goods. For instance, no political office nomination forms should be valued above the national minimum wage, otherwise it will be just like the APC and PDP that are the exclusive clubs for millionaires and billionaires.

Furthermore, by drawing from both Christian and Muslim communities, across Tiv, Idoma, and other minority groups, ADC appears conscious of Benue’s delicate ethno-political balance. Such a configuration, if managed with humility and discipline, could deliver a unifying message and challenge the binary narrative that has long dominated Benue politics.

The Weaknesses: Old Faces, New Robes?

However, there is an undeniable irony. While the ADC purports to be a fresh alternative, many of its leading lights are veterans of the same political establishment that the party implicitly critiques. It is one thing to change political platforms, but quite another to change values, vision, and governance styles. Voters may rightly ask: What distinguishes the ADC of Benue from the political status quo it seeks to replace?

Moreover, this powerful lineup of elites could also become a liability if internal rivalries are not managed. The history of Nigerian political realignments is littered with examples of coalitions that collapsed under the weight of ego, ambition, and entitlement. With at least four former gubernatorial aspirants, multiple legislators, and seasoned technocrats on one boat, will the ADC in Benue find the humility to prioritize collective vision over personal interest?

Another possible Achilles’ heel is grassroots penetration. Popularity among elite circles is not always transferable to rural constituencies, where voter loyalty is often swayed by years of patronage and local power dynamics. The ADC must prove that it is not merely a club of defectors but a people-rooted movement willing to dirty its boots in the fields and forests of Benue. Nonetheless, it is indubitable that many of the people named in the Benue ADC appreciation list are grassroots politicians who are respected within their communities. They need to sustain this trust or improve on it.

The Prospect: Promise Hinged on Purpose

If the ADC can convert its symbolic unveiling into strategic mobilization—recruiting fresh faces, building youth and women engagement, unveiling a bold policy agenda on security, education, and economic revival—then it could become a formidable political force by the 2027 elections. The ADC can easily win trust by, for instance, pooling resources (intellectual and material) to address the obliterating hunger that is ravaging the people. This can be achieved through relevant data collection at the council wards level and establishment of “Community Kitchens” where the poor and needy may collect weekly rations on vouchers already issued through kindred heads and community offices. This simple gesture may trigger a new way of dignified social welfare instead of the current dehumanizing “palliatives”, a word that has become so common among the unimaginative political class.

Benue ADC must move beyond press statements and high-sounding titles. The ADC must craft a compelling message for farmers, traders, teachers, and jobless youth. It must differentiate itself in substance, not just in slogan. It must also learn from history—that most Nigerian “third forces” falter not for lack of talent, but for lack of internal democracy and organizational discipline.

The Alia Factor

Governor Hyacinth Alia remains a significant, if controversial, factor in Benue’s evolving political terrain. His unexpected emergence in 2023 and his populist aura—especially among sections of the Catholic faithful and rural masses—have disrupted traditional political alignments. While criticisms of his governance style have intensified, especially among technocratic and elite circles, Alia still commands substantial grassroots loyalty.

This poses a dual challenge for the ADC: First, it must offer a convincing moral and performance-based critique of the Alia administration without sounding elitist or detached from the lived realities of rural voters if ADC wishes to field a candidate against Gov. Alia in 2027. Second, it must build structures that can rival the Governor’s direct appeal to ordinary citizens. Failing to strategically counterbalance the “Alia mystique” could leave ADC strong in rhetoric but weak in rural reach.

Yet, if disillusionment with the current administration deepens before 2027, and the ADC maintains coherence, it could become the landing platform for both elite and grassroots discontents. That would mark not just the rise of a third force, but the possible reshaping of Benue’s political order.

Considering this scenario, it behoves the All Progressives Congress (APC) at both national and state levels to coalesce behind Gov. Alia to make it tougher for Benue ADC, for anything otherwise would be an unsolicited gift to the ADC.

Final Thoughts

The unveiling of the ADC in Benue is a political event worth watching. It signals restlessness within the old order and opens up democratic space. Yet, the real work begins now: to build a party that does not just change the players, but changes the rules of the game. The question before the ADC is this: Will it merely recycle the past, or will it write a new future for Benue?

© Shilgba