Adc Leaders Divided Over Move By Anti-tinubu Coalition To Assume Control
Division has crept into the African Democratic Congress following reports of its adoption by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as a platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Amid the unfolding drama, sources reportedthat the party quietly amended its constitution to grant equal rights and privileges to incoming members, a move interpreted by insiders as a strategic step to accommodate high-profile defectors ahead of the coalition.
However, the move sparked resistance among some state officials, who vowed not to relinquish their positions to new entrants.
While a few expressed openness to leadership changes in the spirit of unity, others insisted they would not step aside for the new power blocs.
Founded in 2005, the African Democratic Congress remained largely on the fringes of Nigerian politics until recently, when talks about a possible coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections thrust it into the national spotlight.
The coalition drive gained momentum following internal crises in the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party.
Though the party has won elections on a limited scale, the ADC’s electoral successes have not extended beyond the Federal House of Representatives and state levels.
In the 2019 general elections, the party secured at least three National Assembly seats and won two Oyo State House of Assembly seats.
Sources gathered that the coalition leaders might have settled for the ADC following growing concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s influence within the Social Democratic Party, which was initially considered to be their platform of choice.
The National Secretary of the SDP, Olu Agunloye, had declared that the party would not enter into any mergers or adopt external takeover models.
While negotiations between the SDP leadership and the coalition leaders continued to linger, the ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, declared that the party was ready to be the face of the anti-Tinubu coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
A few days after his statement, the ADC was announced as the coalition’s platform.
However, while some party leaders admitted that restructuring was part of the coalition plan, others stated that any move to impose a new leadership in their various states would be resisted.