ADC Pushes Back Against Atiku-Led Coalition Takeover

A political rift has emerged within Nigeria’s African Democratic Congress (ADC), as a faction of the party has publicly dismissed its adoption by a new coalition of opposition leaders led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The group rejected the announcement that the ADC would serve as the coalition’s platform for the 2027 elections. It also opposed the appointments of former Senate President David Mark and ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola as interim national leaders of the party.

Speaking on behalf of the faction, Musa Isa Matara, who identifies as the ADC’s national publicity secretary, accused Atiku’s coalition of attempting to take control of the party without engaging its core leadership or membership.

“Our party is not a private platform to be handed over in backroom deals,” he said in a statement. “Members across the states and at the grassroots were left out of this arrangement.”

The coalition, which includes a number of prominent political figures such as former PDP chairman Uche Secondus and former governors Sule Lamido, Aminu Tambuwal, and Liyel Imoke, had earlier held a meeting in Abuja where the ADC was declared the chosen vehicle for their united front ahead of the next general election.

But the faction within the ADC has rejected the process, claiming it bypassed the party’s internal mechanisms, including its National Executive Committee (NEC). The group also raised concerns over unresolved legal issues lingering since the 2023 elections, warning that these could pose serious risks to any political alignment involving the party.