A fresh crisis has erupted within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the party’s sudden adoption by a coalition of opposition figures led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as their political platform for the 2027 elections.
From Abuja, the storm began to brew after a faction of the party, led by its national publicity secretary, Musa Isa Matara, rejected what it described as a hijack of the ADC by “political merchants” without due consultation with the party's grassroots structures.
In a strongly worded statement, Matara condemned the coalition’s move to install former Senate President David Mark and ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as interim national chairman and secretary, respectively, without the backing of the ADC’s legitimate organs.
“We warn those coming into the ADC as part of this imposed arrangement to tread carefully. Be mindful that some few individuals are attempting to sell out the soul of our party for personal gain,” he said.
“The ADC is not for sale. It belongs to its members, not political merchants or elite dealmakers.”
According to the faction, critical party stakeholders including state executives, women and youth leaders, and ward coordinators were not carried along in the discussions that culminated in the coalition’s adoption of the ADC.
Matara further emphasized that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) neither ratified the appointments of Mark and Aregbesola nor endorsed the broader coalition move, insisting that the declaration made by the opposition bloc was “misleading and undemocratic.”
“The claim that the ADC has become the ‘platform of the National Opposition Coalition Group’ is misleading,” the statement noted. “Our millions of members have not been informed or carried along in this so-called coalition.”
He described the arrangement as a clear imposition that risks trampling on the democratic principles upon which the ADC was built, warning that any attempt to bulldoze a merger without grassroots buy-in would be fiercely resisted.
The statement comes in response to a high-profile political gathering in Abuja, where opposition heavyweights including Atiku Abubakar, David Mark, Sule Lamido, Uche Secondus, Babangida Aliyu, Sam Egwu, Aminu Tambuwal, and Liyel Imoke resolved to adopt the ADC as the operational vehicle of a proposed opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 polls.
At the same meeting, Bolaji Abdullahi, a former Minister of Sports, was announced as the coalition's spokesperson.
Despite the display of unity at the Abuja parley, the deepening rift within the ADC suggests that the coalition’s foundation may already be unstable.
Matara’s faction also reminded coalition members of the party’s ongoing internal legal disputes dating back to the 2023 elections, cautioning newcomers to be wary of unresolved issues that could complicate future plans.
“If anyone is attempting to force an opposition merger without grassroots consent, they are trampling on democratic ethics and party sovereignty,” the statement concluded.
The development raises significant questions about the viability of the opposition coalition and whether the ADC, mired in internal disputes, can serve as a credible platform for a national political alliance. As 2027 approaches, what was intended as a show of strength may be turning into a new battleground within Nigeria’s opposition ranks.
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