A governance expert and President of the National Patriots, Princess Adebajo-Fraser, has raised concerns over the capacity of the African Democratic Congress to serve as a viable platform for national political power, citing weak electoral performance, internal disputes and structural limitations.

In a detailed assessment of Nigeria’s evolving democracy, Adebajo Fraser said recent developments within the party highlight the critical gap between political ambition and institutional capacity, warning that electoral success in Nigeria requires more than visibility or reformist messaging.

She noted that while ADC, founded in 2005 and registered in 2006, emerged as a reform driven alternative promoting inclusivity and youth participation, it has struggled to translate its national presence into electoral success.

According to her, the party’s performance in recent elections underscores this limitation. In the 2019 presidential election, ADC polled fewer than 100,000 votes nationwide and secured only a handful of seats in the House of Representatives. By the 2023 elections, its presidential vote count declined further to just over 80,000 votes, while it failed to win any seat in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“These figures are not just numbers, they reflect structural weakness,” she said, explaining that a political party may exist across all states but without strong grassroots mobilisation, funding, cohesion and legal stability, such presence remains largely symbolic.

Adebajo Fraser also pointed to recurring leadership disputes within the party, warning that internal crises weaken coordination, undermine credibility and often attract legal challenges that can invalidate party decisions, including conventions and candidate nominations.

She referenced the regulatory role of the Independent National Electoral Commission, noting that political parties must comply strictly with legal and electoral frameworks. She recalled that INEC deregistered 74 parties in 2020 for failing to meet constitutional thresholds, a decision upheld by the courts.

The governance expert stressed that successful political parties in Nigeria are built through long term organisation, mergers, grassroots networks and disciplined structures, not short term coalitions or moral appeal.

“Elections in Nigeria are not won by sentiment alone,” she said, likening party building to constructing a house where a strong foundation determines whether the structure can stand under pressure.

While acknowledging ADC’s role in promoting political plurality and offering alternative voices, she maintained that the party has not demonstrated the institutional strength required to compete effectively for national power.

She advised political actors to align ambition with structural realities, emphasising that the choice of a political platform is a strategic decision that can determine the success or failure of any national project.

“The lesson is clear. Structure defeats sentiment,” Adebajo Fraser said, urging stakeholders to prioritise discipline, legality and institutional stability in Nigeria’s democratic process.