• Opposition coalition pledges fair ground for Atiku, Obi, Amaechi, others
• Kachikwu warns Obi against accepting VP slot
As speculations intensify over who emerges as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, (ADC), ahead of the 2027 general elections, the party’s leadership has insisted its immediate priority is to build a strong ideological base before endorsing any individual for the nation’s top office.
Amid growing support for political heavyweights such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, the ADC’s interim leadership said it would not be drawn into what it described as “premature agitations.”
Interim National Chairman of the party, Senator David Mark, had, at various times, insisted that the new coalition had no favourite presidential candidate amid reports that Atiku, Obi and Amaechi were frontrunners for the party’s ticket for the 2027 election.
Mark assured Nigerians that the party would maintain complete transparency under his leadership, after the ADC’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, had accused the Mark-led interim leadership of the party of being biased in favour of Atiku.
Mark stated, “The ADC has no preferred or favourite 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, and 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.”
Addressing the continued agitations on the party’s presidential candidate on Thursday, interim National Publicity Secretary of ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party was focused on crafting a unified manifesto to which all candidates, irrespective of status, must adhere.
Abdullahi said the party was poised not to toe the line of what he described as “aberration” where candidates, upon their emergence as standard bearers, begin to craft their manifesto not guided by their party.
The ADC publicity secretary avowed that the party was poised to structure a strong political party that disciplined its members and ensured that its members aligned with the party’s ideals.
Abdullahi said, “ADC is building a strong political party that can discipline its members. That’s where other parties got it wrong. A party must be able to discipline its members.
“In the Second Republic, no matter how useless a Unity Party of Nigeria governor was, he must do free education, that’s an example of a party that’s able to discipline its members, no matter how highly placed, that’s what we are trying to build.
“I’ll give you one indicator, normally, when a candidate emerges on the platform of a political party, whether contesting for the office of governor or President, that’s when the individual candidate will start talking about how he will develop his manifesto, but that’s an aberration.
“What the ADC is doing now is to develop its manifesto and programme that addresses the needs of the Nigerian people. So, whoever is elected under the party platform, the party is the one handing the candidate the party manifesto and holding the candidate accountable based on that alone.”
On when the ADC would pick its presidential candidate, Abdullahi reiterated focus on building the party but stated that it had one eye on aligning with the guidelines and calendar of the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Abdullahi added that the ADC would provide a transparent process guided by INEC’s timetable and would not “pick” candidates behind closed doors.
“We are not going to pick a candidate. We are going to provide a level playing field for all aspirants in a transparent manner that will inspire the confidence of all concerned,” Abdullahi added.
“We are new and strengthening the party, nobody is having the conversation about who will be the party bearer, the most important thing is to build a strong political party that will be able to provide a very virile opposition and give hope to Nigerians.
“Who will be the party bearer is a question that will be answered down the line. When that time comes, we are sure that justice will be done to everyone and everyone has had the opportunity to express themselves.”
Despite this position, agitation within the party continues, with supporters of Atiku and Obi already pushing for an early endorsement. There are reports that Atiku’s camp is lobbying Obi to accept a vice-presidential slot to strengthen the party’s electoral chances.
However, this has drawn sharp criticism from former ADC presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, who warned Obi against playing second fiddle in any alliance.
At a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Kachikwu described such a move as politically immoral and a betrayal of the South’s rightful claim to the Presidency after eight years of northern rule under former President Muhammadu Buhari.e
The politician described any such alliance as unjust and politically immoral, especially in light of Nigeria’s power rotation dynamics.
“It is morally right for anybody from a major party running for 2027 to be from the South. It is equitable. That is all we ask,” he said.
The ADC chieftain accused northern political actors of plotting to retain power in the region even though the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, spent eight years in office before the current administration.
“In the last two weeks, they have been boasting, insulting, and saying they want to chase President Bola Tinubu from office. The question I always ask people around me is, at the end of all the insults being passed on to the President, what next?”
Kachikwu expressed concern over alleged attempts to manipulate Obi into accepting a vice-presidential slot under Atiku.
“Instead, what we are seeing is recruiting people around Peter Obi to keep singing into his ears that he can’t do it. They are striving to convince him to instead accept to become Atiku’s vice presidential candidate.
“What manner of rubbish is that? He must not accept it. That is their strategy,” he said.
Backing Obi’s credentials to stand independently, Kachikwu added, “Obi has all it takes to aspire and win an election. He has the brain. They told me that too, that as an Igbo man, I don’t have what it takes to become President. Why? Don’t I pay my taxes? So, why can’t I aspire for the highest office in the land?”
He stressed that any political coalition aimed at unseating Tinubu must originate from the South and be grounded in equity and national unity.
Kachikwu also slammed efforts to hijack the ADC structure through inducements, alleging that some state chairmen were being offered bribes to step down.
“They are offering some of the state chairmen as much as N20m to resign their positions, which goes to show that their intentions are not honourable,” he alleged.
According to him, even if such payoffs succeeded, the party’s constitution would still not permit outsiders to assume those positions, rendering the plot futile.
He accused Atiku of orchestrating the scheme for personal gain, citing historical instances to back his claims.
Kachikwu added, “He almost truncated ex-President (Olusegun) Obasanjo’s return for a second term because he believed the seat was his. Former President (Goodluck) Jonathan suffered the same fate. It was most unjust and unfair and led to the current disintegration of that party.”
He challenged Atiku to publicly endorse the Presidency remaining in the South if he believed people misunderstood the mission.
“If the former Vice President says my assertions are not true, I challenge him today to publicly declare that equity demands that the Presidency should stay in the South for another six years.
“He can then support any southern candidate of his choice. But I know he will never do this. The ADC is not for sale and is not an old people’s home. This current political war is not our fight.
“If you want to pursue your political ambition, stay and solve the problem in your party. I stayed to build my party; they should also stay and build theirs,” he warned.
In a move aimed towards cementing his ADC membership, Atiku had on Wednesday resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party.
In a letter dated July 14 and addressed to the chairman of the PDP in his Jada 1 Ward, Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Atiku cited a departure from the PDP’s founding principles as the reason for his exit.
“I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the party has taken, which I believe diverges from the foundational principles we stood for,” he wrote.
“It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged.”
Atiku’s PDP exit is expected to spark more defections to the ADC with veteran journalist and former presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, leading the pack as he announced his resignation from the PDP on Thursday.
Momodu, in a letter dated July 17, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman of PDP Ward 4 in Ihievbe, Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, cited what he described as the party’s hijack by “antidemocratic forces.”
In the letter, Momodu stated that his decision takes “immediate effect,” describing it as a necessary step to uphold democratic principles.
“My reason is simple. Our party has been unarguably hijacked by antidemocratic forces, from within and outside, in broad daylight,” the letter read.
Momodu’s resignation comes on the heels of several others in the past days, including Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory in the National Assembly, who announced her resignation from the Labour Party and declared her defection to the ADC.
Other prominent members of the APC, including former National Chairman of the party, John Oyegun; ex-Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, have also aligned with the coalition.
In the same vein, the ADC chairman in Rivers State, Lawrence Egbagiri, on Monday, said hundreds of members of other political parties, including the ruling PDP in the state, had been joining its fold since the new coalition was formed.
He said the new members defected from the PDP, APC, LP, the Social Democratic Party, as well as various support groups.
The coalition appears to be gaining ground, as the ADC, across several states, continues to announce the defection of stalwarts and members from major political parties.
On Wednesday, a former Chairman of the PDP in Ebonyi State, Silas Onu, resigned his membership of the party to join the ADC, ahead of the 2027 poll.
In a letter addressed to his Obiozara Ward chairman, a copy of which was obtained by DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS on Thursday, the former PDP Publicity Secretary called on his supporters to extend their followership to the ADC for a better political future.
Onu, the party’s senatorial candidate in the February 4, 2024, rerun for Ebonyi South Zone, stated that interference by certain governors in the party’s affairs prompted his departure.
The letter read, “It’s with a heart, yet for a more patriotic reason, I am resigning my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with immediate effect.
“As a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, I served my best in ensuring the party was well entrenched in our ward and had the privilege of also serving as state Publicity Secretary before taking the highest party leadership office as the state chairman in Ebonyi State.
“Additionally, I was graciously elected as the candidate of the party for the Ebonyi South Senatorial Bye-election in February, 2024. Therefore, this decision didn’t come easily.
“However, due to some irreconcilable differences, especially the role being played by a few seating governors of the party, I am compelled to pursue my political aspirations from a different, but a stable platform.
“I thank you for your unflinching support throughout my membership of the PDP and pray that we can all journey into the African Democratic Party (ADC) to continue forging a strong political movement for the overall good of our people.”
The ADC’s growing momentum has seen mass defections across several states, including Rivers, Borno, Gombe, Katsina, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Kano, and Adamawa.
Among the resignations in the last 48 hours from the PDP include a member representing Faskari/Kanawa/Sabuwar Federal Constituency in Katsina State, Jamilu Mohammed; Joseph Silas of Obiozara ward, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State; Sunusi Abubakar of Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State; and Umar Galadima, a 2023 senatorial candidate in Nasarawa State.
Aisha Jimeta of Yola North Local Government Area of Adamawa State also recently resigned from the APC.
Other recent party resignations include those of the PDP Borno Central Senatorial candidate in the 2023 election, Mohammed Kumalia; Deputy Governorship candidate, Saleh Kida; and former PDP national treasurer, Ali Wurge.
Others are House of Representatives candidates in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Babakura Yusuf; PDP candidate for Bama, Ngala, Kala Balge federal constituency, Abdulrazaq Zanna and other House of Representatives candidates.
Others who defected to the ADC are a former governorship aspirant, Idris Durkwa and a youth mobiliser, Sheriff Banki.
On the ongoing defections,Abdullahi described them as the “tip of the iceberg”, declaring that a political hurricane was on the way.
According to Abdullahi, Nigerians are now faced with two clear choices: continue with the APC that he claimed has mismanaged the country, or join the movement that offers real hope.
Abdullahi said, “It’s clear to everyone today that it’s either you are part of the ruling party that has ruined the country, or you are part of the coalition. Which other party is there? Are you part of the APC, or are you with the coalition?
“The coalition has become the only alternative to the Nigerian people, and that is why we say it’s a movement of the Nigerian people versus a government that has brought the economy to its knees.
“So, we are confident that in the next couple of days you’ll see what will happen, what you’ve just seen is the tip of the iceberg, it will be a hurricane in terms of what will happen. They can continue to manipulate the governors and use underhanded tactics to force them into the ruling party, but we are not bothered about that because the governor that you’ve forced into your party knows that he’s been forced, that’s not where his heart is. He knows the right thing; he knows that he has to be with the people.”
