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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has unveiled its manifesto ahead of the 2027 elections, proposing a living wage, independent electoral management, and a production-driven economy.

Salihu Lukman, the former director-general of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), announced the party’s policy thrusts in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday.

Lukman said the policy principles and manifesto were adopted during the party’s national convention held on April 14, 2026.

The document, titled “ADC and New Framework of Electoral Campaign”, was produced by a committee chaired by John Odigie-Oyegun, former All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, with Pat Utomi, a professor of political economy, serving as deputy chairman.

According to Lukman, the manifesto is built on three pillars centred on citizen-focused governance, structural reforms, and humane implementation of policies.

The ADC chieftain said the party has developed policy responses to issues, including subsidy removal, exchange rate management, inflation, and unemployment.

He added that the manifesto covers agriculture, economy, energy, environment, mineral resources, foreign policy, governance and rule of law, health, human capital and social protection, productivity and industrialisation, infrastructure and transport, and security.

According to him, the party’s policy recommendations include “rule of law and a zero-impunity state, independent electoral management free from executive control, performance audits and value-for-money governance, subsidiarity and fiscal responsibility, living wage, tripartite labour governance and productivity alignment”.

He said the party also plans to declare a state of emergency in education and prioritise preventive healthcare.

On security, Lukman said the ADC intends to operate a framework based on local intelligence, state-level prevention, national coordination, and regional collaboration.

“To achieve that, the policy principles outline nine recommendations covering statutory intelligence coordination as the backbone of national security, federal subsidiary and decentralised policing under national standards, police professionalisation, demilitarisation, and rights-based enforcement,” he said.

Lukman said the party’s economic agenda aims to move Nigeria away from a consumption-driven and oil-dependent structure towards a production-based economy.

According to him, the ADC plans to prioritise regional value chains linking agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, technology, and services.

“The ADC manifesto commits its elected representatives to ensure that economic stabilisation must protect purchasing power, support job creation, reduce hardship, and expand opportunity,” Lukman said.

He added that the opposition coalition remained committed to introducing a measurable governance framework ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The new framework is about putting in place measurable initiatives based on which ADC governments at all levels can be assessed and evaluated,” he said.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, says the current economic difficulties in Nigeria are painful but are part of the necessary transition toward building a resilient and sustainable economy.

Alake stated this at the maiden edition of the Solid Minerals Excellence Awards (SOMEA) in Abuja.

He said Nigeria was undergoing a decisive economic transformation aimed at achieving long-term prosperity, industrial growth and national development through bold reforms and strategic leadership.

He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained committed to implementing difficult but necessary reforms to address corruption, weak institutions, economic instability and overdependence on oil revenue.

“Effective leadership must be driven by vision, knowledge and courage,” he said.

According to him, meaningful national progress can only be achieved through policies focused on long-term national interest rather than short-term political considerations.

He said President Bola Tinubu was determined to reposition the economy, adding that reforms previously avoided by past administrations due to political resistance were now being implemented to drive future growth.

The minister, drawing parallels with the transformation of Lagos State, noted that difficult reforms initially met strong opposition before ultimately leading to improved revenue generation, stronger institutions, and economic expansion.

He said that the mining sector had been identified as a strategic pillar of the economic diversification agenda under the Renewed Hope programme of President Tinubu.

“The ministry has undertaken comprehensive reforms targeting illegal mining, weak regulatory structures, insecurity, dormant licences and lack of transparency in the sector,” he said.

He added that the digitisation of mining operations and licensing processes had enhanced transparency, simplified access to licences and attracted increased investor participation.

Alake said the government had strengthened enforcement on mining sites by expanding the Mining Marshals initiative, deploying over 2,000 personnel nationwide to combat illegal mining, leading to arrests, prosecutions, and improved compliance among operators.

He stressed the need for local value addition and domestic processing of minerals to drive industrialisation, job creation and technology transfer.

He said the initiative had already resulted in multiple arrests, prosecutions and improved compliance among operators, while also stressing the need for local value addition and domestic processing of minerals to drive industrialisation, job creation and technology transfer.

Earlier, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Yusuf Yabo, said the awards ceremony reflected the federal government’s commitment to positioning the mining sector as a globally competitive driver of economic growth.

Yabo said the celebration was also a recognition of partnerships, investments, innovation and transformation under the administration of the minister of solid minerals.

Also speaking, the president of SOMEA, Oladunmi Owo, described the initiative as a platform to honour contributions to reforms and sustainable development in the sector.

Omar Sahinolu, the Chief Executive Officer of D-Gold, emphasised responsible mining practices, transparent governance and technological innovation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that awards were later presented to distinguished individuals and organisations for their contributions to Nigeria’s solid minerals industry.

NAN reports that the SOMEA was conceived to promote innovation, sustainability, responsible mining and to attract investment in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, supporting economic diversification.

The awards, themed ‘Unlocking the Future’, unveiled winners across high-impact categories that reflect the sector’s direction.

Categories honoured include Leading Mining Company of the Year, Excellence in Sustainable and Safe Operations, and Outstanding Contribution to Sector Growth, among others. (NAN)

I told y'all that Aso Rock refused to share Tinubu’s video at the Africa-France summit because his performance was a disaster-class.’

This video proves it all.✍️ pic.twitter.com/4ncFAQ6dsa

— Obiasogu David (@afrisagacity) May 14, 2026

The march to restore prosperity and better days to our beloved nation took a firm and decisive step forward today at the National Secretariat of our great party, the African Democratic Congress.

This is more than a political journey; it is a national movement rooted in hope,… pic.twitter.com/pIlB6Oci1O

— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 14, 2026