By Augustine Akhilomen
With the successful agreement, formation, and unveiling of a coalition party in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the coast is now clear for the party to give a tough fight and strongly challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
This is perhaps, one of the biggest shake-ups in Nigerian politics since the end of military rule in 1999. Some political heavyweights from Tinubu’s APC and other top and influential politicians from other opposition parties have also thrown their weight behind the formation.
On June 2nd, top opposition leaders such as Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party’s Peter Obi; former governors Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi; and other political stakeholders such as Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu, Solomon Dalung, Senator Gabriel Suswam, Senator Ireti Kingibe, Emeka Ihedioha, and retired Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar met in Abuja and adopted the ADC as their 2027 platform, with David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola named interim leaders.
Political observers noted that beyond revealing the faces behind the coalition, the unveiling also confirmed the level of seriousness of the proponents of the coalition in their bid to challenge the ruling party.
Despite not being one of the big parties in Nigeria, the ADC has a good national spread and active political structures in each state, which will no doubt be boosted with the money and support of the political heavyweights who have joined it.
The ADC was registered as a political party in 2005 and has been participating in elections since then even though it has not made any meaningful impact in the politics of the country. The party shocked many when it came fourth in the 2019 elections, polling 97,874 votes when it fielded former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the late Obadiah Mailafia.
However, one of the biggest headaches that the party will have to contend with is the issue of who leads the party’s presidential flag bearer in the 2027 election. This is expected to be a herculean task for whoever will be saddled with the responsibility of picking the party’s flag-bearer and who will be the arrowhead of the ADC in the next election.
Interestingly, the trio of Atiku, Peter Obi, and Amaechi have indicated strong interest in standing as the standard flagbearer of the party, a move that could potentially create a strong tussle within the political gladiators of the party. Not a few analysts are of the view that the choice of a presidential candidate, a candidate that will be generally accepted, would be a big test for the new coalition. Is it possible for the two gladiators to pave way for a neutral candidate? Will the southern members of the coalition be persuasive enough to convince the majority the need for power to remain in the south and therefore the need for a southern candidate? Will Obi support Atiku if he wins the primary? These are some of the questions in the minds of watchers of the political terrain.
For sure, the ADC primaries are expected to be highly competitive, and Atiku’s well-known ability to win intra-party contests remains a major factor in the months ahead.
However, many political observers believed that for ADC to compete adequately and also stop Tinubu’s re-election, the so-called heavyweights should shelve their presidential ambition and pick a neutral candidate worthy of winning the heart of Nigerians.
Reacting to this development, Bolaji Abdullahi, the spokesperson of the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the party doesn’t have any problem with any of its leaders declaring presidential ambition.
“It’s just politicians doing what politicians will do. Every politician has an ambition in one way or the other, but what is important is for the party to be able to impose its authority to regulate or motivate the ambitions of individual members.
“I mean, even in conceptual terms, that’s what political parties are meant to do: to aggregate interest to the ambitions. So we don’t have any problems with anybody coming to say, I want to be president. I want to be this or that. That’s not the problem,” the ADC spokesperson said.
In the same vein, the ADC interim National Chairman, Senator David Mark, in a statement on Tuesday, said the new coalition had no favorite presidential candidate amid reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Minister of Transport Rotimi Amechi, and others are frontrunners for the party’s ticket for the 2027 election.
“The ADC has no preferred or favorite presidential aspirant but has set out to first put out a platform that would be attractive and acceptable to the majority of Nigerians. We are doing this because we do not want this great ship called Nigeria to sink because if we do not rise up now, they will sink all of us.
“I don’t own this party more than any of our members, and I urge all members to prepare to show Nigerians that ADC is a different party. A different party that is ready to properly run democracy in our country. All Nigerians must come together and take ownership of the ADC.”
It would be recalled that in the build-up to the formation of the APC in 2014, many of the aspirants were willing to make sacrifices by subduing their ambitions in case they failed to get the party’s nomination.
And to the surprise of many, it worked. After Muhammadu Buhari defeated Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Atiku, and others to clinch the ticket, there was no open display of ill feeling, as the other aspirants accepted their fate with equanimity and agreed to work together to deliver their presidential candidate, which they did eventually.
This, many observers believed, should be adopted by the ADC if they are to make any strong case and stand a chance ahead of the 2027 elections.
In his own reaction, a political analyst, Agboola Odeyemi, told Thepledge that Atiku, Peter Obi, and Amaechi must shelve their ambition for the interest and progress of the party.
“This is one area that I think will test the unity within the ADC. We all are aware that Peter Obi, Atiku, and Amaechi have already indicated interest in leading the party. However, it will be advisable for the trio to step down and allow a neutral candidate to lead the ship.
“I expect the likes of Atiku, Peter Obi, and Amaechi to use their financial capacity and popularity to back whoever is selected as their presidential flagbearer. This will go a long way in solidifying their party grassroots-wise and also creating their chances of beating Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Also, a political commentator, Benjamin Unwuzirike told Thepledge that for ADC to brighten their chances of overcoming Tinubu, the gladiators in the party must shelve their presidential ambition.
“At this point, I am not expecting Atiku, Peter Obi, and Amaechi to be struggling for that one slot that is becoming the presidential flagbearer. This is not the time for the trio to be dragging it because this may create strong issues within the party.
“ADC has a big chance of upsetting APC just the way the ruling party defeated the (PDP) in 2015”, he said.
Beyond this however is the need for the new coalition to build structures across the country, articulate his mission and programmes for the people and come out with policy alternatives to that of the ruling party. That is the only way they can convince Nigerians of their readiness to rule. It should not just be a desperation to take over power by all means.
And the big test will be when the presidential primaries is set. The way and manner ADC handles the pre and post primaries outcomes will show Nigerians that they are indeed ready to provide a better alternative to APC. Until then, Nigerians are watching!