ABUJA — In a dramatic reshuffling that could alter Nigeria’s 2027 political calculus, a coalition of opposition forces led by prominent political figures, including former officials of the Muhammadu Buhari administration and ex-members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has formally adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its new platform.

The symbolic takeover unfolded at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where ADC’s longtime National Chairman, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, officially handed over the party’s leadership structure to a new interim team. The move, Nwosu insisted, was not about power grabbing but “reviving Nigeria from its current political coma.”

“Nigeria is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” Nwosu declared. “For about 18 months, we have been in this journey of coalition and have had over 12 meetings of the National Executive Committee. So, it is not about power that we are here today—it is about transforming our country.”

Flanked by the National Secretary, Alhaji Saeed Baba Abdullahi, Nwosu introduced former Senate President David Mark as Interim National Chairman, and former Minister Rauf Aregbesola as Interim National Secretary, formally issuing them ADC membership cards in a symbolic handover of the party.

Our mission is to safeguard nation’s democracy – David Mark

Meanwhile, the Interim National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, stated that the adoption of the ADC as the platform for the 2027 general elections was driven by the need to unify Nigeria’s opposition and safeguard the nation’s democracy.
Mark on Wednesday while unveiling of the ADC as the opposition coalition’s platform in Abuja said the coalition’s mission transcends a quest for political power, focusing instead on rebuilding Nigeria’s democratic institutions, which he said are crumbling under the current administration.
“This coalition is not merely about gaining political power. It is a concerted effort to rebuild the pillars of our democracy and prevent Nigeria’s descent into a one-party state,” he declared.
Mark described the ADC as a “fortress of democratic revival,” pledging to transform it into a platform rooted in inclusivity, transparency, and the rule of law.
“Here, the North shall hold hands with the South, the youth shall find equal footing with the elders, women will be equal partners with men, and the farmer and the technocrat shall labour side by side—not for the triumph of one party over another, but for the triumph of Nigeria herself,” he said.
“We have never seen a government so much at home with corruption, a government that disdains accountability in all ramifications. A government more concerned with the next election rather than the survival of ordinary Nigerians,” he stated.
Mark called on all Nigerians, particularly young people, women, and victims of insecurity, to rally behind the ADC as part of a historic rescue mission aimed at reclaiming the nation.

“State Capture” and Growing Dissent
Taking the podium, David Mark wasted no time in launching a blistering critique of the current administration led by President Bola Tinubu. He accused the presidency of enacting a creeping “state capture” and dragging Nigeria into “Renewed Hopelessness.”

“This coalition of national political opposition groups goes beyond gaining political power,” said Mark. “It is a concerted effort to rebuild the crumbling pillars of Nigeria’s democracy.”

Mark warned that Tinubu’s administration is deliberately stifling democracy by weakening institutions and opposition parties to turn Nigeria into a one-party state ahead of the 2027 election.

“The current administration has hijacked all democratic institutions within two years of assuming power. It is aimed at leaving Nigerians with no alternatives or options in 2027,” he charged. “This coalition is to prevent our country’s descent into a one-party state.”

He further accused the administration of prioritizing politicking over governance while Nigerians grapple with poverty, hunger, and insecurity.

“We have never seen a government so much at home with corruption… so totally consumed with politicking that governance is abandoned,” he said.

On the legislative front, Mark said the National Assembly has become a “cheerleading choir,” losing its check-and-balance role.

“Never in our history have legislators—guardians of democracy—been so reduced to cheerleaders and praise singers of the executive. This is a dangerous conspiracy against the Nigerian people.”

He called the new coalition a patriotic response to the nation’s existential threat and invited Nigerians from all walks of life—young and old, urban and rural—to join in the task of national salvation.

Behind the Scenes: Governors and Strategy
Amid doubts about the coalition’s ability to challenge the well-entrenched APC, one coalition leader hinted at high-level discussions with Northern governors.

“If I told you how many APC governors in the North are talking to us, you’d be shocked. No governor is going to defect to APC in the North,” the source said confidently.

The remarks hint at a strategic play to fracture APC’s support base and stitch a cross-regional opposition ahead of 2027.

Kachikwu, Matara fight back, say: Alliance with new coalition lacked legitimacy.

Dumebi Kachikwu, the ADC’s 2023 presidential candidate, vehemently condemned what he described as a “dramedy” staged by the Atiku Abubakar–led opposition bloc.

“Can you build something on nothing? Can you shave a man’s hair in his absence?” Kachikwu scoffed. “These yesterday’s men who represent a bad chapter in Nigeria’s past have bought bad market from a man who represents a bad chapter in ADC’s past.”

He insisted that the tenure of the Nwosu-led executive ended in August 2022 and that their alliance with the new coalition lacked legal legitimacy.

“If you seek to be part of the ADC, do the proper thing and come through the front door. We are a party of decent and well-behaved people.”

Kachikwu ridiculed the opposition veterans as “greedy and selfish old men” aiming to continue a cycle of patronage at the expense of real reform.

The internal dissent didn’t end there.

Dr. Musa Isa Matara, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, also criticized the takeover, describing the appointments of Mark and Aregbesola as lacking due process and constitutional backing.

“The ADC is not a private coalition platform to be hijacked by any elite group, no matter how eloquent their speeches,” Matara said, accusing the coalition of ignoring the party’s leadership structures and established procedures.

In response, Chief Nwosu dismissed Matara as an impostor.

“Anyone who speaks against what we have done today is not an ADC member,” he said bluntly.

As Nigeria gears up for 2027, the drama within the ADC and the rising opposition coalition may reshape the nation’s political landscape. But whether this new alliance can offer more than just resistance—and truly propose a viable alternative—remains to be seen.

Those who attended the event

Some of the politicians at the event were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party LP, Me Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba Ahmed; former Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke; and, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Engr. Babachir Lawal.
Some former APC NWC members who were there included the former National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; former spokesman of the APC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi; former Caretaker National Secretary of APC, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe; and, former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the APC, Salihu Moh. Lukman.
The name check also included four ministers in the Muhammadu Buhari administration – Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation); Rauf Aregbesola (Interior); Ibrahim Malami SAN (Attorney General and Minister of Justice); and, Barr. Solomon Dalung (Sports).
Others were former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai; Gen. Tunde Ogbeha (retd), former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Uche Secondus; former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa state, Jubrilla Bindow; former Imo state Governor, Emeka Ihedioha; former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, Senator Ishaku Abbo; former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the APC, Salihu Moh. Lukman; Senator Dino Melaye; Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Ireti Kingibe; and activist, Aisha Yesufu.
The list also included former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba; former Edo State Governor, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor; Senator Lee Maeba; former Inspector General of Police IGP MD Abubakar; former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswan; Ovation publisher, Aare Dele Momodu; former Presidential adviser, Kashim Imam; Senator Enyinaya Abaribe; Dr Mani Ibrahim; Ms Lauretta Onochie; ex-Rivers Governor, Celestine Omehia; Maryam Inna Ciroma; Senator Aishatu Binani; former Governor of Kogi State, Capt. Idris Wada; former deputy governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi; and, Senator Victor Umeh