By Our Correspondent
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State says its membership has surged past 800,000, marking a significant political shake-up in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt over the weekend, the state publicity secretary of the party, Luckyman Egila, disclosed that several high-profile politicians including two former governors, top federal lawmakers, and other political heavyweights have defected to the ADC.
Egila described the Rivers State chapter of the ADC as “a beautiful bride,” adding that it has been “receiving key politicians into its fold” in what appears to be a strategic realignment ahead of the next electoral cycle.
He named former governors Rotimi Amaechi and Celestine Omehia as among the latest entrants into the party.
According to Egila, “These persons have left their former parties, and they are now full members of the ADC. And you can only become a member of a party when you have registered with that party and issued it with a membership card. So all of them are now full members of the ADC.”
Also joining the ADC is Prince Uche Secondus, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as Chief Austin Okpara, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Dr. Abiye Sekibo, a former Minister of Transport.
Egila stressed the political significance of these defections, noting: “The names I have mentioned are all key politicians in Rivers State, and of course, you can’t write these people off. They are all members of the ADC.”
The ADC, which has historically positioned itself as a progressive alternative to Nigeria’s dominant political parties, appears to be consolidating its influence in Rivers — a state that has often been a battleground between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Political observers say the influx of influential figures into the ADC could alter the state’s political dynamics in the run-up to 2027.
