The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has outlined reasons it believes a political alliance between former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, may be difficult to achieve as the 2027 general elections draw closer.
Speaking on The Morning Show on Arise Television on Friday, the party’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, admitted that the absence of cooperation between the two prominent opposition figures presents a challenge, but insisted it does not amount to a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
“I may not describe the situation in such superlative terms to say that it’s the greatest threat to democracy at the moment,” Abdullahi said. “But is it a conundrum? Yes. Is it a challenge? Yes. Is it something we are concerned about? Yes.”
He stressed that the ADC is not currently engaged in discussions about presidential tickets, noting that the party’s immediate priority is to strengthen its organisational structures across the country.
“Nobody in the ADC at this time is having conversations about who the presidential candidates will be,” Abdullahi said. “We have so much work to do — to establish our real presence and be in a position to contest elections in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.”
The ADC spokesperson further clarified that the 2027 presidential race within the party is not being framed as a contest between Atiku and Obi alone, adding that several other aspirants have shown interest.
“It’s not just about Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi,” he said. “Nobody in the ADC at this time is discussing who the presidential candidates will be.”
According to Abdullahi, the party has focused in recent months on building a strong grassroots base nationwide, even as he acknowledged that the issue of candidate selection would eventually arise.
“When we get to that point, we will try to engineer a consensus,” he said. “Consensus is an option for us, but if we are unable to reach one, then we may open it up for everyone to contest.”
He also disclosed that the ADC is holding talks with other political parties as part of efforts to form a broad-based coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
“It’s not a central case between Atiku and Peter Obi,” Abdullahi explained. “There are other options we are looking at, even within other political parties, as we explore how best to build a strong coalition and see what is possible.”
Earlier this month, Peter Obi had expressed concerns that the ADC-led coalition was struggling due to unresolved issues such as zoning and rotation of key political offices.
While Obi is yet to formally register as a member of the ADC, Atiku Abubakar has already obtained his membership card. Abdullahi had previously urged Obi to make a decision on joining the party, noting that the ADC is not yet at the stage of adopting zoning arrangements.
