The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said discussions on building a broad opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election are still open, despite the withdrawal of some prominent politicians from the earlier arrangement.
The party said it remains convinced that a united opposition would stand a stronger chance of challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general election.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made the position known while speaking on the party’s plans for 2027 and other national issues.
Abdullahi said the coalition project had not been abandoned, stressing that the party was still interested in bringing opposition groups and political interests together.
His comments come after former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso pulled out of the earlier coalition arrangement.
However, Abdullahi maintained that the door remained open.
“We still have not given up the possibility. Don’t forget that we started this coalition building. And we still believe that the window has not closed for the possibility of building a coalition ahead of 2027 because we believe that the opposition stands a better chance if we are all working together.”
The ADC has since moved ahead with its own preparations for the election.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the party’s presidential candidate, while former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, was selected as his running mate.
The party later submitted the particulars of the two candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), further confirming its preparations for the 2027 contest.
Abdullahi said the party was confident in the Atiku-Amaechi ticket and believed Nigerians would reject a continuation of the current administration.
“It is the Nigerians that will remove him, it is Nigerians who have suffered from the bad policy of the APC government under President Bola Tinubu that will get him out of power in 2027.”
He argued that the economic difficulties facing Nigerians would be a major factor in the election.
According to him, many Nigerians are dealing with rising living costs, insecurity and food shortages, making it difficult for the APC to secure another mandate.
“It is difficult to imagine Nigerians will vote for the same suffering that they have endured in the last three years and want it to continue for another four years. It is not possible.”
The ADC spokesman also pointed to the food crisis in parts of the country.
He referred to a recent World Food Programme assessment which indicated that more than 17 million Nigerians in conflict-affected northern states were facing acute food insecurity.
The ADC had previously criticised the Federal Government over the figure, blaming insecurity and economic pressures for worsening food access in several communities.
Abdullahi said the opposition party would use the issue of living conditions as part of its campaign for 2027.
“We believe that what this government has done with the level of insecurity we have seen, with the widespread hunger in the country, the way people are suffering today, it is almost unprecedented in the history of the country.”
The ADC official also accused the Federal Government of deliberately keeping former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in detention until after the 2027 election.
According to Abdullahi, the former governor’s continued detention would weaken the opposition because of the political influence he could bring to the coalition.
The allegation is part of a position the ADC has repeatedly expressed in recent months. The party has previously called for El-Rufai’s release and described him as a political prisoner.
Abdullahi said the party believed the bail conditions imposed on El-Rufai were difficult to meet.
“What we are saying is that the government has repeatedly arraigned him in court. And we have consistently demanded that the offences he was being charged with are bailable offences.”
He added that the party would continue to raise the issue publicly.
“The point we are making is that if they continue to keep Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in perpetuity, we will continue to remind the rest of the world that President Bola Tinubu is holding a political prisoner in Nigeria, and his name is Nasir El-Rufai.”
The ADC spokesman also raised concerns over the electoral process ahead of 2027.
He said the party supports calls by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) for reforms in the appointment of the INEC chairman.
According to him, the process should involve all political parties to strengthen confidence in the electoral umpire.
“As long as the president of Nigeria has the discretionary power to appoint who becomes the INEC chairman, the chances are there that he will also subject him to undue influence.”
Abdullahi stressed that the concern was not necessarily an accusation that every INEC chairman would act improperly.
Rather, he said the appointment process itself must be transparent enough to prevent suspicion.
The ADC also backed calls for INEC to take responsibility for local government elections across the country.
Abdullahi argued that allowing state electoral commissions to conduct the polls had weakened confidence in local government elections.
“Leaving local government elections to the discretion of states’ electoral commission is like more or less handing the power to the state governors to appoint local government chairmen.”
He said electoral reforms would form part of the party’s broader plans for strengthening democracy.
On vote buying and election manipulation, the ADC spokesman said the party would not allow its votes to be compromised in 2027.
“We are ready to march the ruling party in whatever they bring. We will do whatever it takes within the ambit of the law to protect our votes in 2027.”
He said the party would not only mobilise Nigerians to participate in the election but would also encourage voters to protect their ballots through lawful means.
The party also promised to make the economy a major focus of its 2027 campaign.
Abdullahi said the ADC would seek to reduce the cost of living, protect businesses and create opportunities for Nigerians.
He criticised suggestions that unemployed Nigerians should simply turn to petty trading as a solution to the economic crisis.
“We are not going to ask people to be selling akara and kuli-kuli. The businesses that are failing, we are going to find out how we are going to support them.”
According to him, the ADC’s social democratic ideology would influence its economic programme.
“We are committed to bringing down the cost of living. That is number one, to bring down the cost of living and create opportunities for people.”
On insecurity, Abdullahi said the ADC would focus more on preventing kidnappings and attacks rather than relying mainly on rescue operations after victims had been abducted.
He welcomed the rescue of kidnapped children in Oyo State but argued that the government should do more to prevent such incidents.
“The real victory is in ensuring that such kidnappings do not take place in the first place.”
The ADC spokesman said the same attention should be given to communities affected by kidnapping and other forms of violence in Kwara, Borno and other states.
