Abuja: The Convener of the Coalition Political Action Committee (COPAC), Engr. Aminu Datti-Ahmad, has urged Nigerians to embrace active participation in democratic processes to strengthen governance and national development. Datti-Ahmad, who made the call at the 2026 COPAC Democracy Day event on Friday in Abuja, emphasized that meaningful democratic progress begins when citizens and leaders remain committed to engagement despite prevailing national challenges.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, COPAC is a civic and political engagement platform affiliated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Datti-Ahmad commended participants for attending the gathering, noting that their presence demonstrated a collective determination to contribute to Nigeria’s democratic growth and future stability. He highlighted that every meaningful democratic journey begins with citizens and leaders who are willing to show up, reflecting a refusal to stand on the sidelines.
Datti-Ahmad noted that Nigerians are increasingly demanding answers on issues such as insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment, rising living costs, and the quality of political leadership across the country. COPAC was established to strengthen the ADC’s electoral success, institutional capacity, and democratic effectiveness through citizen mobilization, political education, advocacy, and leadership development. He explained that while political parties contest elections and produce candidates, political action committees help mobilize citizens and build movements capable of sustaining democratic change.
Further, Datti-Ahmad outlined that COPAC would serve as a platform for empowering young people, organizing party members, encouraging policy debates, and promoting long-term democratic planning. He asserted that Democracy Day offered an appropriate occasion to launch COPAC because democracy required constant participation, vigilance, organization, and sacrifice from citizens.
Datti-Ahmad expressed concern over declining public confidence in politics, particularly among young Nigerians who increasingly view political participation as ineffective and disconnected from change. He maintained that Nigeria was not suffering from a shortage of talent, ideas, or capable young people, but from declining political participation and democratic confidence.
Also speaking, Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, congratulated Nigerians for sustaining the country’s longest uninterrupted democratic dispensation since independence. Represented by a former lawmaker, Nnenna Ukeje, Abubakar described June 12 as a symbol of freedom, prosperity, and the people’s right to choose leaders committed to serving the common good. Abubakar emphasized that for 27 years, Nigerians have refused to abandon the promise of June 12, the promise of freedom and prosperity.
In his goodwill message, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of ADC, expressed optimism about the future of Nigerian politics, citing the intellectual contributions and commitment demonstrated by young party members.